The Start To Something Big
by scribbling wordsmith
Summary: Ricky Underwood is seventeen, about to enter senior year, and the heir to half of a business empire. He had everything planned, spend his last year living the good life and THEN get serious. But what if he meets a girl worth getting serious for, early?
1. World Meets Boy

**AN: Hope you enjoy a little AU Ramy. With all this speculation over the promo for next Monday and the sudden fear that the proposal script passed around months ago was somehow scrapped or even a fake, I realized that we all need a little bit of RAMY love. This story has just enough of the drama but the SOLID PROMISE of a Ramy happy ending. Please review!**

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><p>The Start to Something Big<p>

Ricky Underwood rubbed away the tension in his neck and sighed, letting his back fall against the elevator wall and his hands slip into his pockets. It had been a long day of meetings and business that had lost its appeal early on and the seventeen year old found himself tired and itching to go back to the apartment. His mother was caught up with her assistant, putting the final touches on a charity event Boykewich Butchers was hosting the next day and had graciously allowed him to head down to the car. She promised to only be a moment, so he took his time, unbuttoning his jacket and letting the elevator music soothe him.

As he made his way from the top floor to the basement parking lot his thoughts drifted to the moments that brought him to where he was: seventeen, about to enter into his senior year of high school, and the heir to half of a business empire. He was in awe of how easily everything could have been different and how blessed he truly was.

Thirteen years ago Nora Underwood: alcoholic, druggie, and unfit mother had caught her husband, Bob Underwood, sexually assaulting their only son. In a moment of sheer maternal clarity she shoved an inebriated Bob away, knocking him out on the bureau and took Ricky out of their dingy apartment to somewhere safe. The only place she knew of was the home of Margaret Shakur, the social worker who had been so concerned for Nora and her son. Nora came to Margaret, desperate to be helped, and called the police, putting Bob away in prison. Afterward, Nora agreed to go into voluntary treatment while giving parental rights to Margaret and her husband, Sanjay. They became his foster parents.

And so, for the next seven years Margaret and Sanjay cared for Ricky while Nora, who at first did well in rehab, relapsed and moved in and out of different centers. She wanted to be helped, but couldn't seem to stay motivated and Ricky became bitter towards his mother, feeling as though she didn't find him a good enough reason to stay clean. More than that, he was still dealing the after affects of his sexual abuse and was naturally distrusting of other people.

Over the course of that time Leo and Sarah Boykewich began looking into adopting a second child, after unsuccessfully becoming pregnant on their own. They had a son, Ben, who was eleven, but they wanted more children.

Ben was always an awkward child more privileged than spoiled, but, none-the-less, sheltered and naïve, which made him an easy target for bullies. It was on one particular day, in the city park that two older boys cornered Ben and demanded he give them his prized remote controlled helicopter. When he refused, they moved on him, ready and willing to take it by force, until Ricky Underwood happened upon them.

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><p>'<em>Leave him alone!' he cried out, calling attention to himself as he strode over with a hard glare and an unshaken resolve.<em>

'_Mind your own business,' one of them responded, turning back toward the smaller boy who clutched at his helicopter toy with wide eyes._

'_No.' Ricky said. 'I told you to leave him alone.'_

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><p>The confrontation had resulted in a fistfight with help from Ben's remote controlled toy, which ended up getting destroyed anyway. But both boys came out relatively unscathed and best friends. From that moment on they were practically inseparable and Ricky spent most nights with the Boykewichs, becoming like family. They took Ricky in, treated him like their own son, and when the opportunity presented itself in the form of Sanjay getting a different job in a different state, the Boykewichs offered to adopt Ricky, who didn't want to move away.<p>

Though Ricky had become attached to Margaret and Sanjay he couldn't deny how much he loved the Boykewich family and how much he had wanted to be apart of them. It took about a year and an intense search for Nora, who needed to sign over all of her parental rights, which didn't go over well with her, but soon Ricky was officially Leo and Sarah Boykewich's son and Ben's brother.

He often thought about how different his life would have turned out if he had never met Ben. He probably would have ended up moving away and, though he loved Margaret and Sanjay for everything they did for him, still considering them to be parents of his, he knew that he wouldn't be who he was today. They were always taking in foster kids and he learned, pretty early on, how easy it is in a foster home to get lost in the shuffle. To act out because no one is really watching what you're doing. But the Boykewich family was all about close-knit relationships and being in each other's business. And he kind of liked being kept in line.

With a slight smile Ricky made his way out the elevator and to the car, pulling the keys from his pocket and sliding into the passenger seat, hoping Nora was close behind him. His thoughts lingered on Nora, his biological mother, and he sighed thinking of the changes she had gone through because of him meeting Ben. Having to sign over her parental rights had been difficult, sobering for the most part, and she tried her hardest to get clean after that. Leo and Sarah had helped her, put her in a center close to them so she could still see Ricky and they brought the family to visit her every weekend they could.

Seeing Ricky happy made her realize how much she wanted for him and so, after a grueling three years of getting back on her feet, Nora Underwood was finally sober. But she didn't go to court to get Ricky back, she knew that he was better off with the Boykewich family. So instead, Leo allowed her to be around and even gave her a job in Boykewich Butchers, which she worked hard at, moving up in the company until Leo realized her potential in public relations. He appointed her as a PR rep and she moved to the New York office just last year.

And that's where Ricky was, spending the summer with his mother and seeing her in action. He couldn't express the pride he had in her, how much he loved seeing her thrive in a good in place in her life. And he also could never express the gratitude he had for the Boykewich family. They had taken him in and had never let the "truth" of his adoption stop him from being a part of every facet of the Boykewich name, including the business. Blood was never an issue and sometimes he forgot it ever had been.

The opening of the driver's side door roused him from his thoughts and he turned, seeing Nora slip into her seat and motion for her keys. He handed them to her with a smile and she laughed. "My god, that new assistant of mine can really talk a mile a minute. I would actually still be up there had I not told Donovan to just email me the itinerary. Thank God for the Internet."

Ricky smiled. "So everything is set up for tomorrow?" Nora nodded and sighed, easing into her seat as she turned the keys into the ignition.

"It should be good," she sighed, backing up out of the parking space and heading toward the entrance of the lot. "We're going to really be reaching out to the community tomorrow with that barbeque and the donation we're making to the foundation will help a lot of needy kids." She glanced at him as she pulled out into the street and smiled. "Plus it feels good to get the opportunity to give back to Sanjay and Margaret. I really wish your dad could be here. Did you call him yet?"

Ricky dropped his gaze into his lap and shook his head. "I planned to do it when we got home. I've been worried about him and Ben and had hoped they would decide to fly out here for the event, but I think it's just too hard right now. They keep throwing themselves into different activities just to stay busy. I almost postponed coming a few days just to be with them."

Nora nodded and reached out her hand to take his. "It's a hard time, for everyone, but they'll be okay and I'm glad you're here." Ricky shared a smile with her as she gripped his hand a little tighter. "How are you doing?" she asked, pulling her hand away as they drove through the city toward the apartment. But Ricky only shrugged.

"I'm okay. It's hard to believe it's been a year since Sarah passed away and I miss her, but I've always had three moms so I think I'm better equipped to be okay than Ben is."

"And Ben? How is he doing, really?"

At this Ricky sighed and leaned his head against the headrest. "He's gotten better. Those first few months were hard on him, he lashed out a lot, but the sessions with Dr. Fields really helped. It's just that, the closer we get to her death day the more Ben and dad are throwing themselves into their work and school. Ben's been busy with student government stuff and his side projects with Henry and Alice, but I think he'll be okay."

Nora nodded. "Yeah, I think so. And in the mean time I'm just really glad you're here."

Ricky nodded, but said nothing, unsure of what else there was to say. He and his mother were close and they loved each other, but were hardly the type to become overly sentimental. That was more his relationship with Sarah than anything else, or maybe even Margaret. But Ricky and Nora were buddies. Mother and son, but mostly buddies and he was glad that Nora understood that because soon enough she sighed deeply with a laugh and pulled into her spot. "Alright," she started, "enough of that. You hungry? Want to order in?"

Ricky chuckled and nodded. "Chinese?"

Nora smiled. "You call your dad, I'll order alright?"

He smiled and agreed, getting out of the car as he pulled his cell out of his pocket. He was glad that the summer was off to a good start and was looking forward to what, felt like, would be an eventful vacation.

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><p><strong>AN: So, a different take on Ricky Underwood, but completely plausible. Ever since the Round II episode I've always wondered, what it would be like if Ricky and Ben had been brothers. That certainly looks like a potential future for them if Ricky is as special to Mr. Boykewich as Camille eluded to. Leave some love in the reviews section and I'll be sure to update soon.<strong>


	2. Boy Meets Girl

**AN: This chapter is coming a little sooner than I had planned, but I thought leaving you with just Ricky's background was unfair to you as readers. But anyway, read, love, enjoy, and know that my next chapter probably won't be up until next week. REVIEW!**

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><p>Amy Juergens pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail and straightened her counselor shirt, brushing away the fresh lint from the laundry. Her eyes scanned the apartment for her tennis shoes and found them sticking out from under the couch. She leaned down to swipe them up into her arms as she settled herself beside her sister Ashley who sat stoic, reading a book. "What're you reading?" Amy asked, making small talk as she slipped on her Keds and tied the laces. Ashley flashed her the cover of the book, allowing Amy to read the title, <em><span>The Invisible Man<span>_ and nodded. "H.G. Wells. Good choice." Ashley didn't respond, but Amy didn't mind, her sister wasn't one for idle chitchat.

"Are you going to come to the barbeque this afternoon? It should be fun and the food is free."

Ashley shrugged and sighed, shutting her book and turning toward her sister. "Maybe. Toby said he might stop by later and mom mentioned something about going together, but I don't know. I just don't want to go alone."

"Well," Amy said, pulling her laces one last time, "I'll be there and so will Mariah and Megan, so even if Toby and mom don't come, you should. It'll be fun Ashley."

She again only shrugged and crossed her arms. "But you'll all be busy doing your day camp counselor thing. I'll just wait and if I come I come, if I don't I don't. Okay?"

Amy could tell that she wasn't up for debating about this anymore. She was going to do whatever she felt comfortable doing, so Amy left it alone. She nodded, smiled, and stood up. "Alright, well, I hope to see you there."

Ashley turned back to her book and settled into the cushions of the couch as Amy grabbed her purse. "Bye Ashley."

Locking the door behind her Amy made sure to check before taking off down the stairs. She shifted her bag from her wrist onto her shoulder and took the elevator to the lobby. She waved at Otis, the doorman of the building, saluting him in the comical way they did every day. Otis' deep voice chuckling, "Good day Miss Amy."

And her response, "Same to you Sir Otis."

He hailed a cab for her and she thanked him, waving as the car pulled away from the curb and headed toward Central Park. She had been a Summer Counselor for the Kid's Club, an after school foundation for city kids, for the past two years and today the foundation was receiving a very hefty and generous donation from Boykewich Butchers who were also throwing a huge Summer Barbeque blowout. Amy and the rest of the Counselors had planned a bunch of games and activities for their kids and their kids' families to celebrate and had invited everyone they could to the event. It was sure to be the talk of the city. She was already smiling thinking of all the fun to be had that day. To say she enjoyed working with kids was an understatement and she could barely express to herself, let alone anyone else, how much she loved her job. She wanted to be a teacher when she got older and her work at the Kid's Club had solidified that aspiration.

Amy stared out the window as the cab zigzagged through traffic, coming closer and closer toward the park until they got stuck behind the huge line of cars. People were obviously trying to find parking on the street. Checking her phone for the time Amy decided it'd be best to just get out and walk the rest of the way. She could just spot her fellow counselors gathering under the big tent just through the trees of the park. "Here's fine, thank you," she said to the cab driver handing him cash before getting out and making her way through the deadlocked cars. "Twenty minutes," she mumbled to herself, checking her phone. When she reached the entrance of the park she broke out into a steady jog and made a beeline for the group of people huddled in the middle of the park.

She was amazed at how many booths and bounce houses were set up, already taking into account the different food tents around the area and game booths to visit with her kids. There was also a huge stage set up where she figured bands would be playing and the smell of meat cooking from all over. Her stomach grumbled as she caught sight of a cotton candy booth."I know where my first stop is going to be," she chuckled. As she closed in on the group she spotted her two friends Mariah and Megan talking to each other toward the front of the crowd. She headed for them, waving at some of the other counselors as she did so before stepping into the girls' conversation.

"Look at all of this! Boykewich Butchers sure know how to throw a party huh?" Amy laughed as Megan's eyes scanned the park, pulling her friends' attention to her.

"Amy!" Mariah cried, reaching out to hug her friend. "We were wondering when you'd show."

"Bad traffic on the way in. Did Margaret take role yet?"

"I'm just about to Amy." A plump dark-skinned woman interjected, offering her the clock in sheet. "Just sign your name and then get your clipboard from the desk over there. The kids will be showing up soon and I still want to go over some ground rules, so we'd better hurry this along." Amy smiled at her boss Margaret Shakur and nodded.

"Will do Margaret, whatever you say."

The older woman chuckled and patted Amy on the shoulder before turning toward a tall thin woman in black shorts and a maroon Boykewich Butchers shirt. Amy quickly signed her name and passed the clipboard on, Megan and Mariah following suit. The three then made their way over to the Kid's Club enrollment booth and waved at Shakur, Margaret's husband who was talking to a guy, around their age, dressed in the same maroon BB t-shirt.

"Hey, who's that talking to your dad?" Amy asked as the girls closed in on the enrollment booth. Margaret and Shakur were Mariah's foster parents. Mariah who was still looking around at all the booths turned toward where Amy was motioning and stopped.

"No way. Ricky!" Mariah took off in a sprint calling the attention of both Shakur and the boy beside him who smiled at the sight of her. He circled the table to catch Mariah in her arms. "Hey Mari! Long time no see!"

She laughed as he lifted her off her feet and hugged him tight. "I thought you weren't going to be flying in until next week."

Ricky chuckled. "Change of plans. But I'm here now and I'm glad to see you."

"So," Megan interrupted, the intrigued glimmer in her eye causing Shakur and Amy to both share a look, the look in Megan's eye a familiar one. "Who's your friend Mariah?" Amy chuckled as she waved at Shakur and took the clipboard he was offering her.

Shakur patted the boy's shoulder and chuckled as well, turning towards the girls with a proud grin. "Girls this is Ricky Underwood. Ricky this is Megan Freeman and Amy Juergens." Both Amy and Megan shook his hand, Megan's grip lingering on his before he was able to pull away and Mariah cast Amy a knowing glance. She rolled her eyes and shoving him playfully.

"He was my foster brother, until he got adopted."

Amy nodded, surprised by the fact that Mariah had never mentioned him before, but knew that Margaret and Shakur often took in different children at different times. Even Mariah's house was full of pictures of scads of kids of different ages, so it wouldn't surprise her if she had mentioned him and Amy just didn't remember.

"Brother. I see. So," Megan started, taking one step closer to him, "you work for Boykewich Butchers now?"

Ricky again slipped his hands into his pockets and shook his head. "Not really, it's more like a summer internship. I hope to work in the company after college, but this summer I'm just basically here to watch and learn."

"Ricky's mother Nora is the PR Rep for BB, she's the one that put this all together." Shakur motioned toward the tall woman talking and laughing with Margaret.

"Well she did a great job." Amy complimented, turning back to Ricky and Shakur with a motion to the expanse of the park. "This place looks great and the kids are gonna love it."

Ricky smiled a little wider and nodded toward her. "Thank you, I'll be sure to tell her you said that." They held each other's gaze for a beat longer before she dropped it.

"Alright everyone! Gather 'round please!"

The three girls turned to see Margaret ushering everyone over, Ricky's mother Nora standing at her side. "We'd better go." Amy said clutching her clipboard to her chest and throwing a glance toward Ricky. "It was nice to meet you," and he nodded in response as she turned away.

She heard Megan echo the sentiment, though her tone sounded more like a purr and Amy laughed. Mariah stayed behind speaking to him a bit longer as Megan caught up with Amy and weaved an arm through hers. "He is delicious don't you think?"

Amy scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Down girl. Come on, that's Mariah's brother."

Megan shrugged. "So?" She cast a glance over her shoulder and Amy caught her winking to whom she could only assume was Ricky.

"You're shameless you know that?"

Megan giggled and let out a school girl squeal, "And totally into Mariah's foster brother!" which Amy could only shake her head at.

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><p>"Well they seemed nice." Ricky laughed, not being able to keep the smirk from his face as Megan winked at him before leaving. Mariah shoved him again and shook her head, the expression on her face a mix between an eye roll and serious warning to "not go there". He laughed and leaned back against the table as she followed suit.<p>

"Stay away from Megan, Ricky. I'm glad you're here, but I don't need you creating drama."

He tossed her a look and held his hands up in defense. "Me? Cause drama?" Shakur chuckled behind him

"Listen to your sister, Ricky."

But Mariah threw him a more serious glare. "I'm not kidding. Megan may talk a big game but she's really just that. All talk. And more often than not she needs to be saved from herself, just like you. Besides, Lord knows that your player ways do not need to cross state lines."

"Geez," Ricky complained shaking his head once more and getting defensive at her insinuation. "You talk like I'm some sort of disease infecting girls all over. I wasn't even thinking about going after your friend Megan."

Mariah raised her brow. "Really?"

He raised his brow as well and tossed her a pointed look. "I've hooked up with girls like her before. Trust me, I've had my fill of girls like Megan." His gaze travelled to where Mariah's friends were standing, listening to Margaret dish out instructions. "But Amy…" he trailed off, his gaze tracing the lines of her face and letting a smile creep up onto his face as she laughed at whatever Nora was saying to the group. "She might be a girl worth getting to know."

Mariah scoffed. "Please. Even if you did try to use your charms on her, Amy is exactly the type of girl you wouldn't be able to get."

Ricky turned to his foster sister and crossed his arms. "Is that a challenge?"

She shook her head. "No, it's the truth. So, save yourself the trouble and focus on what you're supposed to be focusing on during your stay here. Working for the company and growing up." Mariah pushed herself up from the table and pulled her brother into a hug, waiting until he hugged her back before laughing. "It is really good to see you and I want you to come find me later so we can catch up."

Ricky nodded and let her pull away, waving as she took off toward her friends, but not feeling any less offended by her words. Shakur stood behind Ricky watching his expression, weighing in on what to say before deciding to pat his shoulder once more and motion to behind the table. "Why don't you come help me over here son, I could use help setting up the booth, then you can go head out and join Mariah."

Ricky stood transfixed on Mariah and her friends, his gaze moving to Amy once more before moving back behind the table. "Yeah, alright, what can I do to help?"

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><p><strong>AN Spoilers: I've always felt like if Amy's parents' divorce made more of an impact than was really let on. I mean, in the show the time is so focused on her teenage motherhood that it is barely mentioned how her parents' divorce affects her and Ashley. But, in the last few episodes, especially the "4-1-1" episode, Amy really begins to be honest about how her parents broken marriage sobered her up. Therefore, even though, in this universe, Amy and Ricky never had John at fifteen, she still became the strong, independent, young woman she is in the show. And though it's not put in TOO much detail, (cause you're going to get more of Amy's background later in the story) it does play a major factor in Amy and Ricky's pending relationship. Well, hope you enjoyed! REVIEW!<strong>


	3. Boy Likes Girl

**AN: Alright well, I've gotten a few reviews already about wanting more Ramy interaction and, while I said that the next chapter wouldn't be up until next week, this one came barreling out of my brain and onto the page so fast and with such intensity that it just couldn't be kept at bay for another week. Therefore, I offer it to you my dear readers and hope that you sincerely enjoy it. Please review. And maybe if I get enough I'll feel prone to updating again in the next few days. These first three chapters are really the foundation of the story anyway, but there is a LOT more to come. Love, life, drama...everything we love about Secret Life. =] happy reading!**

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><p>"I want three balls please!" Came a small squeaky voice from behind the post. Amy looked around the corner and smiled at the little girl waving her tickets up at her, laughing as she bent down to take them.<p>

"Sure thing Gracie, you having fun so far?" Amy shot a look at Gracie's mom, a young mother of twenty-two named Laura, who nodded and knelt beside her daughter.

"Lots of fun, right Gracie? You got to jump in the bounce house?"

The little girl nodded eagerly and clapped her hands pointing across the grass to a pink bounce house in the corner of everything. "I was in the princess jump house, because I'm a princess!"

Amy laughed and nodded, grabbing three ping-pong balls and handing them over to Laura. "That's right you are a little princess. So you ready to play to see if you can win that sparkly tiara up there." Again Gracie nodded eagerly as her eyes found the plastic silver tiara hanging above their heads. Taking one ball from her mother she squared herself up in front of the giant pool of green, red, and blue bowls.

"You just got to get the ball to stay in one of the green bowls alright?" Amy coached, leaning against the post of the booth and sitting on the wooden crate that acted as a table. Gracie nodded, screwing up her face in concentration and sticking her tongue out of the corner of her mouth. She looked adorable as she did this and Amy shared a glance with Laura as they watched Gracie toss the ball toward the pool, hopping on one foot as she did so. The ball soared through the air and plopped into the water without hitting any bowl, but Gracie was quick to recover. She turned toward her mother and grabbed another ball. "That was just practice! Just practice! I'll get it."

Again Amy and Laura laughed, but could only watch again as Gracie followed the same pattern, falling short of a bowl once more.

"Alright." Laura coached. "Last chance bug. Aim for the red bowl okay?" Gracie breathed in deep and nodded, jumping from one foot to the other in anticipation. She took a bit longer this time, moving to throw the ball then backing out at the last minute. Amy thought it was extremely cute and couldn't help but smile as she finally shut her eyes and let the ball fly.

It sailed through the air and seemed to be heading straight for a the water, when at the last minute the floating bowls, rotated in accordance to the summer breeze and the ball landed in a blue bowl. Both Amy and Laura cheered, clapping their hands and congratulating Gracie on a good throw. "You got it in the bowl sweetie, you got it in the bowl."

Gracie at first smiled wide, excited and giddy until her eyes slipped to where the ball landed and the color of the bowl. "But I thought you said I had to get to get it in the green bowl?" She looked up at Amy with large eyes and Amy could already feel the disappointment seeping out of them.

"Well, to get the tiara yes, but…getting in the blue bowl means that you get a stuffed monkey." She pulled out a small, stuffed monkey sitting inside a banana peel and offered it to her. "See? Isn't it cute?"

Gracie took the monkey and looked at it, the smile not returning to her face as she stared at the monkey then back up at Amy. "But I wanted the tiara. I wanted to be a Princess."

Laura knelt down beside her daughter once more and snaked an arm around her shoulder. "Oh, your still a princess, bug. You don't need a tiara to tell you that."

"Yes you do!" Gracie argued, looking at her mom completely deflated and offended at the same time. "If you didn't need a tiara then Princesses wouldn't wear them! You need a tiara to be a Princess! And now I'll never be one!"

Amy leaned forward to try and console the girl, "Oh Gracie, what if I let you try again, we could—"

"Excuse me."

The three looked up to find Ricky, Mariah's brother standing beside the booth, his hands behind his back. "Uh, I couldn't help but overhear that there was a Princess over here?"

Amy looked at him confused, but Ricky didn't miss a beat as he knelt down in front of Gracie and revealed a glittering tiara from behind his back. Immediately her mouth dropped open, but she remained silent. Ricky only smiled. "Well, you see, I won this earlier today while I was trying to win one of those stuffed monkeys and I was wondering if you'd be willing to trade. Seeing as you are a Princess and you're in need of tiara, would you be interested."

Gracie didn't respond at first, she just kept her eyes transfixed on the tiara before looking up at Ricky, her eyes watery and then rushing at him to give him a hug. "Oh yes! Yes! Please can I trade my monkey for your tiara?"

Ricky chuckled and patted her back politely, Laura pulling her off him gently before he offered the crown to her. "It's all yours. It doesn't really fit my head anyway and I think it would look ten billion times better on you." She hugged him again with a squeal and then took the crown, tossing the monkey at him, which brought laughs from both Amy and Ricky and a scolding from her mother. As Laura pulled Gracie away, she waved at both Ricky and Amy, who now stood on either side of the booth desk watching the little girl go.

When they disappeared in the distance Amy turned toward Ricky, "That was awfully sweet of you." He met her gaze and shrugged, looking down at the monkey in his hand waving it at her.

"Least I could do. Like I said, I really wanted the monkey." Amy chuckled and nodded, pushing herself off of the post toward the pool of bowls and grabbing the ping-pong ball out of its place.

"Well then it's a win-win."

She turned back to Ricky, whom she noticed was gazing at her with a sort of steady gaze and she couldn't help the blush. "But even still, it was very sweet and I'm sure you just made that little girl's day."

He smiled lightly at her and leaned against the wooden table, setting the stuffed monkey on the counter. "So," he started, "how long have you and Mari been friends?"

Amy set the ping-pong balls back in the bucket beneath the table and turned, wiping her hands as she thought of his question. "Uh," she let her mind wander back to the first time she met Mariah in freshman homeroom and sighed. "About two years. We met the first day of high school and have been friends ever since. Megan, I met through Mariah in band."

At this Ricky's interest peaked and he smiled. "So you play an instrument?"

Amy nodded and slipped her hands into her back pockets as she leaned against the beam of the tent once more. "French horn. I wanted to be a professional musician in the New York Philharmonic."

Ricky nodded. "You don't want that anymore?"

She brushed back the bangs that fell just in front of her eyes and shook her head, dropping her gaze before letting it sweep out across the many kids running and laughing through the different booths. "No. I got into a summer program a few years back and realized that being a musician just wasn't for me." Her gaze stayed trained on a little boy smiling up at his mother as she helped him eat a bit of her snow cone and smiled. "Then after that Mariah got Margaret to hire me to be a summer counselor and my whole life changed. I realized how much I love kids, so I decided I want to be a teacher."

Ricky had watched as the expressions on her face changed as she looked out on all the families partaking in the fun. There was a focus to her and a definitiveness that he liked. She wasn't cocky or overly independent, she was just driven and confident. She was beginning to interest him even more. "I play the drums in my school band." He said, pulling out sticks from his back pocket and twirling them through his fingers. She reached out to take then and he let her grasp the sticks, watching with a smile as she twirled them clumsily at first then a little more practiced. Then, to his surprise, she set the sticks in a traditional stance in her hands, slowly tapping out a rhythm, which grew into a complicated cadence.

"Wow," he laughed as she finished. "Don't tell me you play the drums too."

Amy laughed as well and shook her head, returning the drum sticks to him with a tilt of her head. "No, I just dated a drummer for a while. He taught me a few things."

Ricky let his gaze linger on her as he leaned closer, turning his body towards her with a smirk. "I could teach you a few things too Amy. If you'd be interested."

He expected her to blush, maybe even shy away and stutter, but she didn't. Instead she reached out a hand and pushed him away gently, smiling politely and shaking her head. "I don't think so. But thanks for the offer."

He was slightly put off by her ease in rejecting him, but he shook it off, standing up to face her completely with a puppy dog pout he had used on a lot of different girls. "Come on Amy, we could make some beautiful music together."

She laughed and took a step back, rolling her eyes at him as she circled out of the booth and waved at an oncoming girl who was working the next booth shift. His body followed her as she crossed in front of the booth and him, his hands itching to reach out and pull her to him, wanting to see what she would do if he did. But her gaze on him made him stop in mid reach. "Like I told you, I realized I didn't want to be a musician anymore, so I think it best you find someone else to make that music with."

She pressed the stuffed monkey he had traded Gracie for into his chest and left him with one last smile before taking off through the crowd. He watched her go, stunned that she had just walked away from him, but more so that there was no baited or coy invitation to follow her. She had simply let him down, gently and without a game to play. She was really willing to leave him there. And though he thought he should have felt offended in some way he couldn't ignore the fact that it made her all the more attractive to him.

"So…you wanna play or something?" He turned to see the girl who had just relieved Amy from her booth duty watching him, her eyes steady and a familiar glint of interest glimmering in her eye. He weighed his options, looking the girl up and down and deeming her cute enough to entertain, but at the last minute shook his head. "No, already spent all my tickets playing for Amy."

The girl leaned closer to him and smirked, whispering suggestively, "Well then maybe you should go get more."

He smirked back at her, but didn't lean forward. Instead he stepped back from the booth and nodded. "Good idea. Thanks." Then left the girl to her own devices, passing a group of screaming kids who were motioning and pointing to the stuffed animals hanging above her booth. He would need more tickets to keep playing for Amy. And he was going to keep playing until he won.

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><p><strong>AN: Can I just say...I love it when Ricky is so sure of himself. XD Like, for instance, in this week's episode, the way he said to Adrian, "Not for long." I about near died. No one can stop Ricky Underwood once he's set his mind on something. That's part of the reason why we love him so much right? But we also love Amy cause she's strong enough to combat Ricky when necessary. *sigh* Alright, again I say REVIEW. That's really the only indication I have that people actually like this story. Thanks a bunch!<br>**


	4. Boy Meets Johnny

**AN: Wow! Thank you so much for all the reviews, it really does mean a lot. And I hope that you keep reviewing, especially for this chapter, because it does introduce an important character to the story. I hope you enjoy!**

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><p>There were screams of laughter coming from every angle and Ricky couldn't deny that it all was overwhelming. He used to be around kids all the time when he was living with Margaret and Shakur, but it had been a while and he had forgotten how loud they could be. He had met up with Mariah, after talking to Amy, and she had found it hilarious when a little boy grabbed Ricky's hand only to burst into tears upon realizing that Ricky was not his brother. To say that he had been caught off guard would be a gross understatement, but, after a few minutes, the rhythm of dealing with kids began to come back to him. Though that didn't stop Mariah from teashing him about how startled he had been.<p>

Ricky had seen glimpses of Amy throughout the day, had even caught her gaze a few times, but hadn't had a chance to talk to her again. She was seemingly everywhere. He wasn't intentionally following her, but he felt his body almost gravitate toward her, not being able to help it. She, in turn, wasn't helping the situation. Because she wasn't interested he expected her to avoid him, maybe even go out of her way to brush him off, or at least that's what he had seen when his brother Ben came on too strong to a girl back home. But Amy stayed civil; polite even, acknowledged him whenever she saw him and even waved from time to time. He was intrigued, to say the least, and found himself increasingly curious by her, just wanting any kind of interaction, which Mariah also noticed.

"I told you to save yourself the trouble."

Ricky turned toward Mariah from his place against the bathroom wall and threw her a pointed look. She had needed to bring one of her camp kids in to use the facilities and he had promised to wait for her. The little girl, Wendy, thanked Mariah and ran off, running after Megan who was leading a group of ten kids over to one of the bounce houses. Megan, in catching sight of Ricky, waved with a bite of her lip. Ricky smirked and nodded back as Mariah leaned beside him on the wall. "And I also said to stay away from Megan."

Again, Ricky turned to Mariah and sighed. She held his gaze a moment longer and rolled her eyes. "Don't worry," Ricky said to her. "I haven't gone anywhere _near_ Megan. And Amy…we just happen to keep running into each other. Not my fault."

Mariah snorted as she crossed her arms, "Right, like I'm supposed to believe that."

"Believe it." Ricky coughed out gruffly and pushed himself off the wall. "She told me she wasn't interested and I'm respecting her feelings. But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the view." He glanced back over to where Amy stood, talking to Megan. The two of them laughing together while Megan threw glances at him with a coy smile. Amy followed her gaze to meet Ricky's, and smiled as well, just a little wider, as she rolled her eyes at her friend. As she turned away Ricky let out another sigh. "And let me tell you, I _really_ appreciate the view…"

He kept his gaze focused on her as she kneeled down to tie the shoe of a little girl when a sharp pain shocked him back to where he was. "Ow!" he cried out, reaching for his shin instinctively and coming nose to nose with a little boy, maybe six years old, glaring at him hard.

"Hey!" the little boy yelled, his voice high pitched and squeaky, "stop ogling my girlfriend!"

"Johnny!" Mariah cried, pulling at the boy to face her, though Johnny's face stayed glued to Ricky. "You are not supposed to kick other people! Why would you do that?"

Ricky massaged his shin tenderly, dropping to a knee and glaring right back. The little boy didn't budge. "He was eyeing my girl, Mari and he needs to quit it."

"I was not!" Ricky spat back, standing tall, but rolling his ankle for good measure.

"Yes you were! I saw the way you were looking at her. Go get your own girlfriend."

"Johnny!" Mariah scolded, putting both hands on his shoulders to force him to face her. "Regardless of the provocation we do _not_ **kick**." She kept her gaze stern as Ricky shook his head once more and crossed his arms.

"Listen kid, I wasn't, I swear," thinking it best to just stick to his denial story, but it seemingly pissed the kid off even more as he tossed Ricky a glare so cold that he thought he felt chills run down his spine.

"Were you lookin' over there by the bounce house?"

Ricky sighed and shrugged, "I may have glanced over."

"And did you happen to glance over at Amy and Gracie in the process?" Again, Ricky shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Johnny crossed his arms and fixed a steely glare on Ricky. "Don't lie. Liars go to hell."

Ricky wanted to laugh. He wanted to right out laugh in the kids face at the bluntness and the seriousness of his tone, but the throbbing in his shin warned him otherwise. So instead he rolled his eyes, brushed off a smile and nodded. "Alright," he admitted, "I may have glanced over for a second. But I swear little man, I was not _ogling_ your girl."

Johnny huffed and furrowed his brow. "Yes, you were. I saw you."

Ricky tossed Mariah a look and saw that she, too, was still not pleased, but was watching, interested, in the interaction between the young boy and her brother.

"Well, I meant nothing by it kid. Honest. Plus, that Gracie girl's a little young for me anyway."

At this Johnny's eyes widened and he sputtered out a series of vowels, his arms flailing to his sides. "What?" He cried out. "You think I'm talking about Gracie! GROSS! She has COOTIES!"

At this Ricky became confused. "What? But—"

"Even worse! She's got PRINCESS COOTIES! That means she's a royal pain! Yuck!" Johnny pretended to hurl. "Gracie's _not_ my girlfriend."

A giggle brought Ricky's attention over to Mariah who could no longer contain them within her and he raised his brow. Mariah sighed and shook her head. "Ricky, Johnny's talking about Amy. Amy is his girlfriend. And she has been since he was four years old and he first came to Day Camp." Ricky felt his mouth open slightly as the idea ruminated in his head, then looked to the young kid in front of him, his eyes having glassed over.

"It was love at first sight." Johnny said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and leaning back as if he was much older and recounting the beginning of an epic love story. "I was crying because my mom dropped me off on her way to work and Amy came up to me and told me everything was going to be alright. I've been in love ever since."

Despite his confusion, Ricky, again, wanted to laugh. The kid was cute, chubby with dimples, his eyes big and brown, that had all the emotion his body could hold ready to pour out of them. He finally let a chuckle escape, only to have Johnny glare at him once more. "What's so funny? I saw you looking at Amy and let me tell you, you got off easy. I have to beat the boys away every day! So, just because you're a little bit older doesn't mean I can't do the same with you. Like I said, Amy's my girlfriend. So get your own!"

Ricky laughed again and shook his head, kneeling down to the kid and holding out his hand. "Hey, I'm sorry man. I didn't mean anything by it. She is pretty though and I gotta say you've got some seriously good taste in women."

Johnny stared at Ricky's hand, unsure at first, but in the end deciding to shake it. "Alright. No hard feelings. I mean, I get it, she's hot," this comment brought wider smiles from both Mariah and Ricky, but they let him continue. "And I know it's hard not stare sometimes, but come on man, have some respect."

Ricky nodded, held his hands up, "If I had known I wouldn't have been lookin', like I said I'm sorry."

By this time Mariah composed herself enough to return to her stern counselor stance and stare the kid down. "I think I might have to tell Amy about this Johnny. You know how she feels about violence." Immediately Johnny's face drained of color and he held his hands up in the air.

"Oh please Mari! Don't tell her. She got so mad at my last time and I can't stand it when Amy's mad at me. I was gonna propose soon! Look!" He pulled a ring-pop from his pocket to show them, out of the wrapper with lint clearly on it and Ricky bit back a smile. "I bought a ring and everything! I had to rummage through the couch cushions at home a whole month to find enough money to get this!"

Ricky and Mariah shared a glance, both trying very hard not to laugh when Ricky cocked his head and looked the boy over. He quickly glanced over at Amy, who was now gathering her kids and pointing towards an open field where some were playing with Frisbees and balls, and fought back a smirk, suddenly struck with an idea. "Listen Mar, I'm not charging the kid. He was protecting his woman, so I can respect that. Maybe, if he makes it up to me, we'll just call it even yeah?"

Mariah raised a brow, obviously wondering what Ricky was playing at when Johnny nodded vigorously, taking Ricky's hand in his. "Yeah! What if I just make it up to him Mari?"

She contemplated it, her gaze shifting from Johnny to Ricky before sighing deep and shrugging. "Alright, if that's how you want to play it. What does Johnny have to do Ricky?"

Ricky smiled and looked down to the kid, his eyes wide and staring back up at Ricky, breath baited and patient. Ricky shrugged the backpack off his back and slipped his hand from Johnny's. He zipped open his bag and pulled out worn and well-used baseball glove, only to laugh once more at Johnny's shocked expression. "I saw the baseball glove you got there," Ricky said, motioning to the one that Johnny had been gripping under his arm. "If you play catch with me and tell me how to win over a girl like your Amy, you know so that I can get my own girlfriend and not 'ogle' yours, we'll call it even. Deal?"

Johnny's eyes were fixed on the baseball glove, his eyes still wide and a smile slowly starting to spread across his face. He grabbed Ricky's hand, which was held out for a shake and shook it as hard as he could. "Deal!" he cried. "Let me get a ball!" And he took off toward Shakur's booth in order to inquire about a baseball.

As Ricky stood Mariah held her position and raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you up to?" she asked, her stare probing and suspicious.

Ricky shook his head and shrugged. "Nothing, just playing ball with a kid who might have a lot to teach me about getting a girl like Amy."

Mariah let out a scoff and shook her head, letting her hands fall from in front of her to slip into her back pockets. "I see. A girl _like_ Amy? Or…Amy?"

Before Ricky could answer Johnny came barreling back, waving a ball excitedly at Ricky as he sprinted. Ricky smiled and waved, pulling out a Grant Academy baseball cap from his bag to slip onto his head. He winked at his foster sister and sighed. "Come on Mar," he teased, "What do you think?"

And with that he turned and ran toward Johnny, meeting the kid halfway and taking the ball from him. He patted Johnny on the back and motioned toward the open field where Amy and the others were already playing, smirking as they moved closer to the group and farther away from Mariah. He didn't have to turn around to know that she did not approve.

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><p><strong>AN: Ah, so...since John is not in this universe (yet...I say that because I'm not exactly sure how far into the future this fic will go) I thought it be fitting to at least pay homage to him in some way. In the series John is what brought Ricky and Amy closer and in this universe, I believed that that was something that shouldn't be changed. You're going to be seeing a lot more of Johnny, especially in coming chapters, so keep an eye out! And again, PLEASE review. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! =] Oh. and p.s. I know there have been a lot of reviews asking for "longer" chapters and, usually I am a pretty long-winded writer, but these opening chapters are going to be smaller. I promise as the story progresses, they will slowly get bigger, so don't fret! Love you all mucho.<strong>

**-scribbling wordsmith  
><strong>


	5. What A Girl Wants

**AN: Hope you enjoy, this one is a little longer and I hope you review. P.S. That finale was absolutely perfect. It has really done wonders as my inspiration. READ IT! LOVE IT! REVIEW IT! =]**

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><p>Amy tossed the frisbee to Gracie as she giggled out loud and ran to it, grasping at it as it soared toward her and clapping it between her palms. Amy chuckled at how easily amused the young girl was and shook her head. "Go ahead and bring it over to the others Grace, I'm sure they want to play." The little girl nodded and took off toward the rest of the group and, Amy sighing as she followed. Crossing her arms she took in the sight of her free playgroup and relished in how happy they all seemed. Today was really shaping up to be a good day.<p>

Megan sidled up to Amy and nudged her with her shoulder, biting her lip as if with a ready-to-divulged secret. "Hey, did you get a look at that?"

Amy followed Megan's eyes and caught sight of Ricky kneeling beside Johnny Philips, another one of her kids, holding a baseball out to him. Johnny took it as Ricky talked to him and nodded excitedly, prompting a laugh from Ricky who soon stood up and ruffled Johnny's hair. It was adorable the way they were interacting with each other and, again, Amy couldn't help but smile. Megan let out a loud sigh and fanned herself, "My goodness. Hot, sexy, AND good with kids?" she licked her lips, "If he asked me to marry him right now I would. Here in the park in front of everyone."

Amy laughed out loud and playfully pushed her friend. "Oh my god, you're crazy."

Megan shrugged, "What? Come on look at him! He's _perfect_."

Amy shook her head and rolled her eyes. "No one is perfect." Megan tilted her head to the side and rolled her own eyes, crossing her arms in front of her as she faced her friend.

"Oh come on Amy, even you have to admit that Ricky is the complete package."

But she only shrugged and slipped her hands into her pockets, "I don't know Megs, I'm mean, sure, I'm not blind. He's great looking, but perfect? Come on, let's be reasonable here."

"You don't even know him!" Megan complained, but it only yielded another eye roll.

"And you do?"

Megan sighed and shook her head, Amy holding her gaze until Megan looked away and bit her lip. "No," she admitted. "But, what I do know is that, that boy is interested in you. It would take a blind person to not notice the way that he's been following you around." At this Amy felt a blush rise up into her cheeks and she pulled at her ponytail.

"Weren't we looking at him for you? When did this become about me?

Megan laughed, "When it became apparent that Ricky wasn't following us around for me." She snorted and nudged her friend again. "Honestly girl," Megan continued, "I wish I was in your shoes. You've got a super sexy guy wanting to get to know you! He's interested and he's willing to put in some work. Most guys would have moved on to the next girl once they'd been rebuffed, but he seems persistent so you should enjoy that—no—embrace that!" Her hands found their way around Amy's shoulders and she shook playfully, "Please! For the sake of your libido!" and Amy giggled as a stray hair fell from her rubber band.

Brushing it away Amy sighed, but shook her head, "Look, I appreciate what you're saying, but I really don't want to embrace it. I just, don't want anything like that right now, so turn on your charm and get him yourself. You know me, I'm not going to be able to give him what he wants."

Megan huffed and pouted as she crossed her arms, "Yeah, I do know you and you always seem to do this. You always seem to find an excuse to throw away a perfectly good guy who is genuinely interested in you. You nitpick and you find things to justify your fear with so that you don't fall in too deep in case the ball drops. You expect them to mess up in the future and you're so afraid that it will hurt you that mess it up before you can."

She sighed as Amy's face became serious, almost insulted and stepped forward, "I'm not trying upset you Amy, I just, don't want you to miss out on any more experiences. You've been so guarded for the last two years, with good reason, and you've always been the more levelheaded out of the three of us. But you can't learn how to trouble-shoot through life by just watching Mari and I make mistakes in ours or your parents make mistakes in theirs. You've got to make a few mistakes yourself and maybe you'll find that some mistakes are worth making." She glanced over at Ricky once more, who was tossing the ball to Johnny as the two called out to each other between throws, talking and laughing as if they were best friends and nodded. "And _that_ potential mistake has your name written all over it."

She patted her friend's shoulder and left it at that, turning her heel and returning to the kids. Amy sighed deeply and brushed a hand through her hair, reaching to her rubber band to pull it out and retie her ponytail. She didn't think she did what Megan was saying she did, she didn't ruin potential relationships because she was afraid they would fall apart she just never found one worth keeping. It always became apparent after a certain number of days or weeks where it was going and Amy prided herself on being able to intuitively read the life expectancy of any of her relationships, friend or otherwise. That's why she was very picky about who she let into her inner circle. People were always changing, their hair, their attitude, their mind and, if you weren't careful you could get hurt. _'There was no shame in protecting yourself from that. Right?'_

But as the question came to mind Amy sighed and shook her head, Megan's words coming back in full force. Glancing over at Ricky she watched as he played catch with Johnny, his smile genuine and inviting, more attractive than she cared to admit, but shook her gaze away turning instead to watch the other kids play as her thoughts began to circulate.

Two years ago Ricky would have been exactly the type of guy she would have fallen for. Two years ago he would have been the type of guy she would have given everything for. Smart, attractive, funny, charming, he was what she had always pictured at fifteen. But a lot had changed since then; she had changed a lot since then.

Taking a seat on the ground Amy pulled her knees up to her chest and bit her lip, resting her chin on top of her knees. Her mind whirred with the reality of the past two years and she sighed as it all came rushing back.

Her parents had been married for fifteen years before things started to take a turn. They married young and for the sake of Amy, who came unexpectedly into their lives, but they had been in love once. At least, in love enough to have Amy's sister Ashley and to keep their family afloat in the midst of everything changing. Amy's mother, Anne, had begun to work around the time that Amy entered the sixth grade and her newfound independence was hard for Amy's dad, George, to cope with. Anne was becoming successful and busy as a company consultant and even when she came to work with George in his furniture company, turning his store into a lucrative and expanded online business, the romance in them slowly faded and George began to go elsewhere for the attention he wanted.

Amy had had no idea that it was going on, though Ashley had, having caught her dad with some flight attendant. She hadn't said anything because she had hoped her dad would stop, but he didn't and he was still paying for the betrayal Ashley felt from him. What had pained Amy the most during the whole ordeal was that the falling out had not been sudden. It had started to build over the two years she was in Junior High, rising in tension in her house before it finally came to head at the end of eighth grade when her mom handed her dad divorce papers. Though she hadn't known what exactly her dad was doing she had known that things were falling apart and couldn't stop it. Things were changing around her and she wasn't changing fast enough with them. When the papers were signed, sealed, and delivered to the courthouse it all suddenly became real and had suddenly become painful. Things had officially changed and it was hard to adjust.

After that Amy's dad moved out of the house and out of state, heading to California where Anne and George had opened up another location for their business. They had originally planned for the whole family to move out there together, but then the divorce happened and so he went on his own. Anne and George stayed in business together, because it was the only place they really got along and had spent the two years since their divorce becoming friends again. Though it felt strange Ashley and Amy made no complaints since the lack of fighting between them had been one of the nicer changes.

And then slowly life just moved on. Amy's dad got remarried eight months ago to his first love, a woman named Kathleen, who he ran into after her husband had died. Ashley shared with Amy that she was probably the reason why dad cheated on their mom, because he was really looking for Kathleen, but Amy tried not to think about things like that anymore. It had hurt when he got remarried. Kathleen had two kids, a boy and a girl, and, at times, Amy felt like her dad traded them for Kathleen, Grace, and Tom, as if she and Ashley and Anne weren't enough. But, she had to make the best of it. She forced herself to adapt and tried not to dwell on the hurt.

Grace and Tom were really nice when Ashley and Amy would spend holidays with them so Amy was glad for that, especially since Grace was the same age as Amy and could relate to her frustration over the marriage. But she still had trouble trusting and opening up to her dad. His betrayal had shifted her perspective on a lot of things and she wondered if in fifteen years he would fall out of love with Kathleen the same way he had with her mom. Or if maybe, like Ashley said, his love with her mom had all been a lie because in the back of his head he was always in love with Kathleen.

That's why most boys rarely lasted with Amy, they always had some sob story, some girl that got away, and she didn't have the time or energy to compete with that. If she was going to be in a relationship with a boy it would have to be for the long haul and most sixteen-year-old boys were not into that.

But, maybe there was something to what Megan had said. Maybe her cautiousness didn't have to stop her from experiences, but could act as a grain of salt, at least enough to get Megan off her back. Amy looked over her shoulder and glanced again at Ricky and Johnny, watching them together. She bit her lip and let out a slow breath through her teeth as Ricky threw the ball, his features defined in the sun. She would have to keep herself in check around him, since he had already proved what a way with words he had, but she wasn't fifteen anymore. Maybe she could handle him. Maybe she could give him a chance. Maybe, he wouldn't be the game-changer her gut was screaming that he was.

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><p>Johnny actually had a really good arm for a six year old and had admitted to dreaming of playing professional. He threw like a kid who practiced every day and Ricky couldn't help but see a bit of himself in him, having done the same thing. He also lit up every time he came in contact with the ball and Ricky relaxed into their game nearly forgetting to ask him any questions about Amy. But after glancing over at Amy and Megan, seeing them talking and the way that she laughed and pulled at her ponytail and sighed, tossing the ball once more to Johnny. "So tell me kid, what's your girl like? She seems really special," he asked as Johnny easily caught the ball and bounced on his heels.<p>

"She is. She's the nicest, prettiest girl in the world and I'm lucky."

Ricky smiled and nodded just as Johnny threw him the ball and he caught it with ease. "Yeah you are and you're right, she is really pretty. And a girl like her must be smart huh?"

He tossed the ball into his glove a couple times before throwing it back to the little boy. Johnny watched the ball with an intense focus, but couldn't help the smile as he caught it in the net of his glove. "Yeah, she's really smart. She wants to be a teacher. And she's really great with kids, all the other kids at the Foundation love Amy, but she loves me the best."

At this Ricky chuckled and caught the ball as it sailed toward him. "So how'd you get her to be your girlfriend? A girl like her, smart and pretty, must've played hard to get?"

As Johnny caught the baseball he furrowed his brow. "Huh?" and Ricky sighed, suddenly remembering whom he was talking to.

"I mean, how'd you get so lucky? How'd you get Amy to say yes?"

Johnny stepped forward and gripped the ball in his hand, snapping it into his glove as Ricky stepped closer as well. "I just…asked her," he said simply and with that he tossed the ball back at Ricky who caught it close to his chest. He laughed as Johnny smiled up at him, noticing that one of his bottom teeth was missing, and nodded, taking a few steps to the side. "You see," Johnny continued, "girls like Amy don't want big gestures, they notice the little things, like me! 'Cause I'm little."

"Wow." Ricky said, shaking his head, "I never thought of doing that. No wonder you got the girl little man."

Johnny nodded his head toward Ricky and shrugged, "I just got swag dude. Girls just can't say no." This time Ricky couldn't hold back his laugh as he threw Johnny the ball.

"I like your style kid," he said, shaking his head. "Alright, show me what else you got with that wicked arm of yours. You know how to throw a curve ball?"

Johnny shook his and furrowed his brow, falling into thought as he stared at the ball. "Oh!" he cried out suddenly, smiling at Ricky and then stepping back. "My friend at school taught me how to throw a screw ball, wanna see?"

Ricky nodded and punched a fist into his mitt, "Sure, let me see it." Johnny took a few more steps back and Ricky watched him, amused, before resting his hands on his knees as the windup came. The little boy stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth and stepped forward, releasing the ball with a grunt. The power of his throw impressive for six-year old and Ricky watched as it flew over his head. But in an instant he saw where it was heading and took off, his gaze frantically shifting from the ball to Amy who sat unknowingly in the grass. "Amy! Move!" She turned to him, but there was no time to get out of the way so Ricky jumped, snatching the ball out of the air with his bare hand only to tumble over Amy and onto the grass.

"Ricky! Oh my-Are you okay?" Ricky groaned as he sat up, his head spinning and his gaze out of focus. He felt warm fingertips against his forehead and squinted up to see Amy bending over him, her other hand pressing against his shoulder. "Ricky?" she asked again, "How many fingers?"

She held up three and he mirrored her, having trouble finding his breath or his voice as he breathed in the smell of vanilla beans and lilies. His focus finally stilled and he smiled as she brushed his forehead, "Hey Amy, funny running into you like this."

They both laughed together just as Johnny came barreling over and slid in the grass beside Ricky. "Oh man, are you okay? That was one amazing catch!" Again Ricky and Amy laughed as he handed Johnny the ball.

"That was one amazing throw—ah!" His hand was tender and red from the angle he had caught it and the slap of the leather against his skin.

"Oh no!" Amy cried out, reaching for Ricky's hand and delicately examining it in hers. He watched as she tenderly traced his palm, her brow furrowed as he suppressed the urge to hiss at the ache in his hand. Pulling her backpack off her back she zipped it open and pulled out a cold thermos, beads of water patterned across the body. She lightly placed the thermos into his hand and he sighed. "Sorry," she said, pressing his hand to grip the thermos.

He waved her off, "No, don't worry. Are you okay? I didn't hit you did I?"

She shook her head and leaned back into the grass, pulling her ponytail over her shoulder. "I'm fine, you jumped clean over me. It was actually pretty impressive." He smirked and leaned back on his elbows, glancing up in time to see her roll her eyes.

"I'm really sorry Ricky," Johnny's voice cut in, the boy looking very sad and very guilty. Ricky slid his mitt under his arm and pulled it off, releasing his hand so that he could run a hand through Johnny's hair.

"Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for kid. That was a great throw and look I'm not hurt that bad, it's just a little sore 'cause it wasn't my glove." He pulled the thermos out of his hand and showed it to Johnny, the redness and sting still there, but already subsiding. He sat up onto his bum and sighed, handing the thermos back to Amy as Johnny still looked incredibly guilty. Ricky shared a look with her before turning toward him and lifting his chin to face him. "Hey, I'm okay," he insisted, smiling at Johnny and nodding his head. "And I'm dying to have you teach me how to throw like that."

At this Johnny's eyes widened as he looked up at him and Ricky smiled even wider as he cocked his head to the side. "You think if I come over to the Foundation this summer we can play catch more often? My brother back home isn't much of an athlete so it isn't often that I get to play ball. Maybe we could even go to a game."

"Really?" Johnny said, almost too excited to breathe.

Ricky nodded, "Really. I'm only here for the summer, but you gotta teach me how you threw that ball."

"Okay!" Johnny burst out, his excitement bubbling out of him as if he was just filled with it. "Okay! Yeah, sure!"

Ricky laughed and held out his hand, Johnny high-fiving it instinctively, though Ricky pulled back with a hiss. "Ow-"

"Oh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry." Ricky shook his head and took the thermos back into his hand as Amy bit her lip.

"Hey Johnny-boy, why don't you go ask Megan if she can find Ricky an ice-pack. That'll work better than the thermos." And with that Johnny nodded, taking off toward Megan with a bounce in each step as the two watched. They shared a glance and a giggle as Ricky settled into the grass beside Amy and flexed his hand.

"That was really sweet of you," she said, pulling her legs up to her chest, "offering to play ball with him and all."

"He's a good ballplayer," Ricky said, holding up his hand, "with an awesome right arm," causing Amy to laugh as she pressed the thermos back into his hand.

"Well, still," she sighed, "I want to thank you. One, for saving my life," he nodded his head at that. "And two, for how good you are with Johnny. He really doesn't get along with some of the older counselor boys, doesn't really trust them and so it's nice for him to have a guy to look up to."

Ricky raised his brow and folded one leg under the other, resting a hand on his elevated knee. "Well, I try. He's a little hotheaded, but he's a good kid. I'm actually surprised, he doesn't get along with other guys?"

Amy sighed and rested her chin on her knees, glancing over at Johnny who was walking hand in hand away with Megan toward Shakur's booth, making large gestures and pointing toward she and Ricky. "Well," Amy started, "he doesn't have a male figure in his life and isn't really willing to trust many who have tried to be. He has problems with his mom when she brings dates home and problems with some of the boys here because he's just naturally distrusting. Margaret says it's because his father was abusive to both him and his mother."

At this Ricky sucked in a breath and sighed, "Oh." His own eyes found Johnny and watched him go, the image of his face during their first encounter coming to the forefront of his mind. "Yeah, I can understand that."

Amy looked over at Ricky and gauged his expression, the sincerity and understanding in his gaze enough to make her curious, but refrain from asking any questions. "So, it's nice that he likes you. He needs that kind of connection."

Ricky nodded and met Amy's gaze, "I know how important that is for a kid his age. I know, I needed one back then." He tossed Amy a smile, which she returned before cocking her head to the side.

"So that's two sweet things you've done for two of my favorite kids. I would say you're trying to impress me, but I think maybe you're just a natural with them."

Ricky laughed and shrugged, looking out at all the kids running and still playing, a spirited game of tag underway with them zigzagging beneath the trees. "I spent a lot of time with a lot of kids when I lived with Margaret and Shakur, comes with the territory I guess of being a foster kid."

Amy chuckled lightly and shrugged, "Maybe," she sighed, "or maybe you just like kids."

Ricky met her gaze, "Maybe I just like your kids," yielding a wider smile from Amy.

"Well, my kids are the best," and the two laughed as he handed her back the thermos. Their fingers brushed and prompted their eyes to meet once more, his gaze steady on hers as she bit her lip. _'I just…asked her,'_ he had said, and so Ricky took in a deep breath.

"Amy, would you like to go dinner sometime?" Her eyes widened at the question and he quickly held up a hand, "It doesn't have to be a date or anything, just the two of us out to dinner. But…I want to talk to you, get to know you better, if you don't mind."

Amy's mind whirred at his words, her thoughts racing over the pros and cons of how the situation could go. Her mind and her gut were screaming that she slow it all down now, nip it in the bud and suggest a more tame setting, maybe a dinner with Shakur and Margaret or a movie with Mari and Megan, but something else in her responded first, eliciting a smile and a purse of her lips. "Alright," she said, before she had time to think. "Dinner, but it's not a date. Just dinner, okay?"

He tried to suppress his smile but failed miserably, glancing down at his swollen hand before meeting her gaze again, "Whatever you say," he responded, "Whatever you want," Amy eyed him pointedly and he held up his hands in surrender, though the smile could not be wiped. "I promise Amy, it's not a date, just a dinner between friends," and she nodded.

"Good."

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><p><strong>AN: Alright, so I hope you all could understand Amy's back story. It will start to make more sense in how much it impacts Amy and how she views love in the next few chapters. But anyway, again, I hope you all enjoyed AND are happy by the longer chapter. if you follow me on tumblr or youtube my new video is going to be coming out soon. =] Keep an eye out!<br>**


	6. Manhood Problems, Boyhood Dreams

**AN: Sorry for the delay faithful readers. School has begun and I am knee deep in senior preparations. Pray that I stay disciplined in sticking to all my obligations (including my fanfiction).**

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><p>Ricky ran a hand through his hair as the taxi stopped and went through the heavy traffic. He was heading toward Boykewich Butchers' New York office and becoming increasingly impatient in how long it was taking. His mother, Nora, had had a meeting across town and wouldn't be coming into the office until much later, but Ricky was supposed to sit in on a meeting at 9:30am so she couldn't take him and he had to take the driver his father had hired to escort Nora on special events. He never really liked getting driven around by a diver, but there wasn't much he could do. "Hey Philip? How much farther are we?" he asked, leaning forward to press his hand just beneath the barrier window.<p>

"We gots 'bout three blocks Mr. Underwood, don't worry. Traffic startin' to lighten up." Ricky nodded and leaned back in his chair, resting an ankle on his knee as he looked out the window. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out, glancing down at the caller ID before sighing heavily. He hesitated; debating on whether the headache that would result from the call was really worth it, before flipping open the phone.

"Hey Adrian." If he didn't pick up she wouldn't stop calling and he decided it would be better to get their long overdue conversation done with.

"I can't believe you _left_ without saying goodbye!"

Ricky sighed and leaned his head back in the seat, "I didn't think I owed you one since I was very clear on us being over and done with when I spoke to you the last week of school."

"Oh shut up," she said, the image of her rolling her eyes coming to the forefront of his mind. "That's what you always say and you always forgive me. So just do it already and I'll call you back tonight to make it up to you." Her voice turned deep and velvety, rich with innuendo and implication.

It was his turn to roll his eyes, "You can't make up for this Adrian. I don't want you to make anything up to me because what I want is for you to leave me alone. I can't do this anymore all right? We tried to make it work, but the truth is we had issues from the beginning. I don't want to be with someone that can't be faithful to me or someone that I can't be faithful to. I stand by what I said when we broke it off: you and I are not right for each other."

"Why would you say that?" she cried back, angry and with a twinge of brokenness in her voice. "After everything we've been together don't you know I love you?"

He sighed, "Apparently not enough since you cheated on me with Zoe Camden's boyfriend."

"That's only because YOU slept with Zoe Camden!"

"No," he said firmly, sitting up straighter. "No I didn't. Zoe Camden kissed me while drunk and _you_ over-reacted. But that just proves my point Adrian. You and I never trusted each other enough to have a real relationship and I'm sick and tired of trying to change that. So stop calling, stop texting, stop emailing me and just move on Adrian. I already have."

"What?" Her voice was biting and he felt his body tense at how upset she sounded. "What do you mean you already have? You already have some whore over there?"

Ricky sighed and shook his head, "No. I don't. But even if I did it would be none of your business. Goodbye Adrian," and he hung up, slamming the phone down and shoving it back in his pocket. He could feel eyes on him and glanced up to meet Philip's gaze.

"Problem with the Mrs., Mr. Underwood?"

Ricky shook his head and sighed, "Just get me to work Phil."

The Brooklyn-accented man chuckled and nodded, "You's got it, kid." Ricky's phone rang again and he sighed deeply bringing a hand up to rub his eyes. He picked it up with an agitated, "What?" only to hear a whistle and a stutter of words.

"Uh, sorry. Bad time?"

'_Ben,'_ He thought. "Hey, no. Sorry. I thought you were…someone else."

He heard his brother chuckle on the other end and could almost picture him slipping a hand into his pocket as he questioned, "Trouble in the Big Apple?"

Ricky scoffed, "More like trouble calling the Big Apple from home."

"Ah," Ben replied, "Adrian?"

Ricky nodded, "Yeah. Adrian." He let his gaze fall to the passing buildings, traffic easing up enough for the car to begin driving again at a steady speed. The streets were covered with cars and the sidewalk with people, but no matter how deeply he wanted to just get lost in the bustle of the city he felt like home would always find a way to reach him.

"Hey, I'm sorry buddy," Ben said, "She's been hounding me too for an explanation as to why you haven't called her yet. I should have known that she would get impatient enough to call you sooner or later."

Ricky shook his head once more, "No, I should have expected it. I knew she wouldn't take our break up lying down."

"So you're really broken up?" Ben asked, sounding skeptical himself. "You're not just saying that like you've said it the past two years?"

"Yes Ben, we're _really_ broken up. Didn't you hear what I said?"

"Yeah," Ben reasoned, "But you've also said that a few hundred times before when you and Adrian had a falling out only to get back together soon after. I was just wondering if this is going to be like all those other times or if you really mean it."

Ricky groaned with a roll of his eyes, "No Ben," he asserted, his hand clenching to a fist as his irritation grew. "This isn't like all those other times. Adrian and I are _really_ done. And I'll tell you, like I told her, I'm sick and tired of trying to make a broken relationship work. We never really cared about each other. We sure as hell never trusted each other, as apparent to the number of times we've cheated on one another. And, quite frankly, the way I see it, this last year is going to be all about enjoying senior year and not having a repeat of the shove and take crap Adrian and I had last year. We obviously keep hooking up with other people so we might as well just break it off and do so without any baggage."

"Alright, alright" Ben surrendered, his voice pausing to give way to his lecture tone and Ricky tensed as he pictured Ben crossing his arms in front of him ad taking on a pensive face. "I just hope that you're doing this because _you _really feel this way and not because mom never liked Adrian."

"What?" Ricky scoffed. "No. This has nothing to do with mom." He sighed once again and massaged his temples in a syncopated rhythm to his heart rate. "Like I said, I just want senior year to be fun and not a repeat of last year's drama. So that's why, starting this summer, I'm putting Adrian behind me, and moving on. Taking every day to enjoy my youth before graduation and I have to focus on my degree. This is the only time to do it, Ben and I'm not gonna let Adrian take that away from me."

He could almost feel the supportive head nod from Ben's side of the conversation and couldn't help but smile. If there was one thing that his brother was it was supportive. Ever since they were little he had always been on Ricky's side and that was one of the comforting facts of having Ben Boykewich as family. "Well, I'm glad to hear it. I mean, I like Adrian, I do, but you guys were like an episode of 90210 every week and it'll be a nice break from all the fighting."

Ricky scoffed, though his smile never left, "I'm glad that my break up could make life easier for you. That's really what I had in mind when I ended it. How can I make Ben's life easier?"

He heard Ben laugh and sigh to himself, "Look, I'm just saying that I back you up on this man. And if you want I can try to keep her from calling. I'll talk to her if you want."

"No," Ricky said, just as the car pulled up to the towering Boykewich Head Quarters. "Just ignore her. That's what I'm going to do. If she asks about me just tell her to back off, but other than that don't engage. Adrian can be crazy, especially now when I somewhat eluded to having moved on already."

At this he imagined Ben surprised. "Really?" he asked, his tone just as Ricky knew it would be. "And have you? Have you met someone else?"

Philip opened the door and Ricky slid himself out of the car, buttoning his jacket and straightening his tie with a salute to Philip. "Maybe," he replied, Amy flashing to his mind and the way she looked when she agreed to dinner with him. "I'm not sure yet, I'll let you know how it pans out."

"Ricky, don't you think it's a little soon to be messing with another girl? I mean, you just said that Adrian would be a little crazy. Do you really think it's fair to drag this girl into the mix?"

Ricky entered the building and strode toward the elevator doors, waving to Gene, the security guard at the front desk. "I'm not bringing her into anything," Ricky said, pushing the button to go up. "Adrian and I are over and, besides, I don't even know where it's going with her yet, we're just having dinner. She hasn't actually agreed to date me, we're just…testing each other out."

"Woah," Ben said, in a more shocked than surprised tone. "Are you saying this girl didn't fall at your feet? She hasn't said yes to you?"

"She hasn't said yes _yet_." He insisted, entering the elevator and pressing for the top floor. "And no she didn't fall at my feet or whatever. She's…different. Worth getting to know different, but I'll tell you about her later man, I just got into the elevator, I'm about to head up for the Board Meeting."

"Alright," Ben replied, the hesitation and curiosity thick in his voice. "But I'll expect a detailed report later," he said, his tone now teasing Ricky to another eye roll.

"I thought as much. Hey, just tell dad I said hi alright?"

"Will do," Ben promised. "Talk to you later."

"Yeah," Ricky responded, "Later." He hung up the phone just as the elevator doors opened up to the 28th floor and he breathed in deep, his eyes scanning the deep maroon carpet and the wall's crown molding. "Showtime." And he stepped out, coming face to face with the old, experienced, and slightly intimidating Board Members of Boykewich Head Quarters, New York. He left all his anxiety in the elevator and smirked: confident, cool, and collected.

"Mr. Underwood!" A voice rose out over the shuffle of the Board Room. "Good to see you son," Mr. Wilson, a jolly old man with a hearty laugh approached him and reached out a hand. "I just played golf with your father last month. Still doing well? Your brother too?"

Ricky met the man by the table, nodded and gripped his hand back. "Mr. Wilson, good to see you too. And yes, my dad is doing well, keeping busy, as is Ben. He's preparing to run for Junior Class President."

"Ah," Wilson laughed again, "good, good. You boys were always good boys."

Ricky nodded, "Thank you sir." A slap on his shoulder pulled his attention behind him and he smiled. "Mr. Molina, good morning, we missed you yesterday at the picnic."

Marc Molina was Leo Boykewich's point man in New York and Ricky's liaison to the company. He was a young gun in the business, driven more by loyalty to the Boykewich family, to whom he owed his career to, than the numbers like many of the Board were, and so for that Ricky liked him; even more so when he got to see him work. He was charismatic and firm as a businessman, approachable as well, which made him a definite front man for the New York office. But he was also a force in the Board Room; constantly reminding Ricky that, when it was his and Ben's time to take over, he couldn't let the dinosaur suits bully them because of their youth. _"This is your family's legacy, so you have more at stake than any of these old farts will ever have."_

"Mr. Underwood," Marc greeted. "Good to see you and yes, I couldn't get a flight out of Italy early enough to make it back for the event. But your mother said it was a huge success."

A flash of Amy's face came to Ricky's mind and he smiled just a bit wider, "I'd say." He stood beside his father's seat at the head of the table and leaned against it. "The kids really enjoyed it and, the last I checked, we made out with a profit through donations."

Mr. Molina nodded, pulling out the portfolio from underneath his arm and opened it up. "We did, and I know your father was thrilled to hear it." He sighed and looked out at the expanse of the boardroom, just as Benjamin Giuseppe entered.

"Alright, let's get to work gentlemen. I'd rather not spend all day here." Ricky, Marc, and the rest of the Board Members took their seats immediately, watching Benjamin's secretary trail in behind him with his portfolio and documents. He took his place at the opposite end of Ricky and nodded to the young man, his lack of verbal greeting typical of his behavior. Giuseppe was all business in and out of the office. He was a hard-ass with a no-nonsense demeanor and wasn't one to let anyone see him sweat or with any kind of emotion. Of course Ricky was privy to a different side to him, as he was Leo's best friend and Ben's godfather. But in the professional world he was the boss; the commanding leader to both his father and Mr. Molina's charisma.

As he demanded the attention of the room, jumping right into the opening of the meeting, Ricky couldn't help the buzz in the pit of his stomach. He always enjoyed watching Giuseppe work and leaned back in his seat as the man deferred to Mr. Molina. The meeting began with Mr. Molina bringing up a powerpoint of the previous day's charity event and Ricky sighed into his seat, noting that this was where he wanted to get to in life. This seat. Unbuttoning his jacket, he leaned back and could almost see the future.

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><p><strong>AN: So, I really wanted to highlight the ambitious side of Ricky, the side that has the potential and the determination to be everything he can be. They show bits and pieces in the show, more so than before, but I thought it would be great to see just how capable he is in letting Adrian go AND going for his business dreams. Anyway, never fear, the AmyRicky fluff will again be here. =] keep an eye out.**


	7. He's Full of Surprises

**AN: I apologize my dear readership for my lack of updates. Like I've stated in past chapters I'm in the midst of my grad apps AND NOW finals are coming next week so I'm going mad crazy with stress. My fear is to fail a class this quarter and then have to pay for an extra quarter, but anyway, I'm here now, so let's just enjoy. I really really REALLY loved this chapter and I promise that once finals are done I'll have another chapter ready and rearing to go. But enough talk! Read and Enjoy! (and review...please?) ;]**

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><p>Amy bopped along to the beat of the Top 40 hits filling the room as she picked up craft scissors and fallen crayons. Her last batch of kids had left for the day, either picked up by their parents or taken off to their homes by the rides crew and the music did well to soothe her of the day's chaos. As mush as she loved her campers she couldn't deny the peace that came when she was able to clean up and relax. She glanced at the clock and knew she would have to leave soon to wash up and change before Ricky would show up at her apartment. She had been clear in defining that it would not be a date, but still wanted to wash the smell of glue and markers from her hair.<p>

When the final box of crayons had been properly put away in its rightful cubby Amy sighed, took one final sweep of the room, and grabbed her cardigan. She brushed a hand through her hair and slipped the black cardigan on making a grab for her purse that hung on the coat rack. She checked her phone for any messages stepping toward the door and reached instinctively for the tuner on the radio. She switched it off, then the lights, before pulling the door closed behind her. Ricky hadn't texted her or called, but it was still early, so she didn't expect to hear from him for at least another hour or two. That fact alone eased her nerves as she realized that she had enough time to get ready before they went out. Even if it wasn't a date Amy still felt jittery. She did like Ricky, to an extent, and knew that if she wasn't careful she could get herself into more trouble than necessary. She didn't want to be in any sort of relationship, exclusive or casual, so as long as she kept reminding herself of that she knew she would be okay.

With a sigh she pulled her cardigan closer and crossed her arms. "At least let's hope so," she murmured to herself, reaching the end of the hall where the main desk stood. Turning to Margaret who sat looking over some paperwork Amy smiled and gave a slight wave, "I'm off." She ran a hand through her hair once more just as Margaret looked up at her. "I'll see you tomorrow at ten."

Margaret pulled off her glasses and reached out to Amy as she passed, "Wait a second Amy, we've got a situation." With a furrowed brow Amy faced Margaret and cocked her head to the side.

"Sure," she said, "what's up?"

Margaret motioned behind her and Amy turned to see Johnny sitting at the farthest corner of the room, swinging his legs in the air as he watched his shoes waft back and forth. Amy's eyebrows shot up. "Johnny?" she called out, "What are you still doing here?"

The young boy looked up at Amy's approaching figure and blushed his hands folding in front of him as he twiddled his thumbs. "Uh…I don't know. My mom never came…"

Amy's brow furrowed once more and she huffed. "Never came? That isn't like her." Margaret came up behind Amy and set a hand on her shoulder.

"I tried to get in touch with her at the hospital, but she's in the middle of rounds so Gwen at the nurses' desk said she'd have her call me back."

Amy nodded and then looked back at the boy, her eyes softening as he looked up at the two women with a bite of his lip. She knew that Johnny hated to be fussed over and put others at an imposition. He would probably offer to just sit and wait for his mom until she was done with work, but he was only six and Amy had a soft spot for him. She glanced at the clock once more, gauging the time before letting out a sigh and reaching for Johnny's hand. "Come on John, I'll take you home and we'll wait for your mom there. She probably just got caught up with patients." Turning to Margaret Amy smiled and shrugged, "It's on my way home anyway. If Helen calls just tell her I took him home to wait for her, no big deal."

Margaret gave a soft smile and patted Amy again on the shoulder, "You're a good girl Amy. I'll let her know." And then she turned and retreated back to the desk.

Turning back to John Amy grasped the hand that he was reaching out to her and pulled him off his bum with a laugh, "Come on you, how about we pick up some ice cream on the way home?" The young boy's face lit up and he nodded so much she thought he might get a headache.

"I want chocolate!" he shouted and Amy held back a laugh as she nodded and pulled him along.

"Then chocolate it is," she said and glanced at her phone once again, hoping that Helen was on her way home already.

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><p>Ricky loosened his tie as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes feeling tired from staring at the laptop screen for so long and glanced at the clock, wondering when the best time to leave would be. He wanted to give himself enough time to prepare for his dinner with Amy and had originally planned to leave earlier, but with Giuseppe in front of him it made it difficult. After the Board Meeting Giuseppe had summoned him to his office where he put Ricky to work going over reports upon reports of sales numbers. The work was monotonous and less than glamorous, but Giuseppe had murmured to him the first time Ricky had let a yawn escape, "Someone's gotta deal with the real meat."<p>

Ricky didn't mind it, he actually enjoyed the quiet of it all in comparison to the schmoozing when handling a customer. That's probably why he and Giuseppe got along so well. They weren't really people pleasers. A gentle knock came to the door and Giuseppe grunted a gruff, "Come in," not looking up as one of the interns came in with two coffees.

"One coffee black for you sir and another two sugars and one cream for Mr. Underwood." She set Giuseppe's cup in front of him with a submissive nod, but handed Ricky his directly, her hand brushing against his just so. He looked up to give her a nod of thanks when he noticed just how low cut her blouse was, one more button undone than the last time he had seen her. He struggled to smirk and throw her a suggestive smolder, but he didn't want to do anything of the sort in front of Giuseppe. A businessman always knew the appropriate line. He cleared his throat and nodded quickly, turning back to his laptop and keeping his eyes focused on the screen. He didn't look up at her again as he heard her retreat from the room.

Glancing at Giuseppe who had yet to look up from his paperwork Ricky let out a sigh of relief until Giuseppe's words cut through it like a knife. "Don't think I didn't see that."

His gaze shot up to meet Giuseppe's form, still unmoved as he transferred one paper to another folder. "I've seen that intern fluttering around the office distracting the best of my employees. I wouldn't get too close to her if I were you, especially because you're underage and she's a bit of an addict."

"Addict sir?"

He finally met Ricky's gaze and fixed him with a steady one of his own. "A sex addict." Ricky choked on his coffee and coughed as he set his cup back on the desk. "Uncle Ben!"

The old man furrowed his brow and shrugged, "What? She is an office slut in the making if I've ever seen one."

When Ricky could finally get his bearings on the words that the man was saying he couldn't decide whether he should laugh or just keep silent. "Well…" he tried to find the words, "Why would you take her on as an intern?

Giuseppe waved him off, still unfazed by the boy's reaction, "Well, Molina is the one in charge of the interns so he deals with the interviewing and what not. But I'm sure her resume didn't mention that she favors her backside." At this Ricky couldn't help but laugh as Giuseppe's dryness continued. "Besides," he sat back in his chair and folded his hands, "just because she's loose with her body doesn't mean she isn't smart. In fact she's probably one of our more resourceful interns, charming her way onto big projects and getting results. But I still would rather that you stay away from her. A sexual relationship in the office is never a good one, personal or physical, and I caution you especially because I know how much you…enjoy…the company of intelligent, but loose women."

Ricky cringed at the mention of Adrian, knowing that Giuseppe hadn't been fond of her much either. He quickly shook his head and leaned forward, "I'm not with her anymore Uncle. I broke up with her before school ended."

Giuseppe eyed him warily as he unbuttoned his jacket, "So that you could come here unattached for the summer or for good?"

Ricky watched him steadily and replied, "For good. She and I…we just couldn't seem to see eye to eye."

"Well," Giuseppe grunted, "That's because you were too busy eyeing her body more than her eye, but I'm sorry if the separation pains you in anyway."

Ricky shook his head and waved him off, "It doesn't. I'm glad to be rid of her." and finally Giuseppe smiled.

"Good. So am I." Ricky finally found himself able to laugh easily as the old man stood and made his way over to him. He set a hand on Ricky's shoulder and squeezed. "You're a good boy Ricky and you'll do well in this business if you keep that good head of yours on your shoulders." He sighed and brushed a hand over his own bald spot, "As well as your good hair on your head." Ricky laughed once again and nodded, turning to his laptop to check the time. Giuseppe leaned forward and shut it in front of him, pulling Ricky to his feet. "I have also seen you checking the clock every five minutes. If you have somewhere to go then I suggest you go now while I'm feeling so congenial to let you go."

Again Ricky laughed and shook his head, "You know me really well Uncle. I'm having dinner with a friend."

He nodded and motioned for the door, "Well get to it then, we've done enough number crunching tonight. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow. Should I venture to guess that this friend is a girl?"

Ricky smirked, but didn't respond as he gathered his things, "We'll leave it as just a friend."

"Aha," Giuseppe said, "Good for you m'boy. Keep the relations out of the office. We'll make a CEO out of you yet."

Ricky laughed once more and patted his mentor on the shoulder, "I'll see you tomorrow Uncle." and made for the door.

Just as his hand reached the door knob Giuseppe called out to him, "Ricky?" He turned to the man who stood leaning against his desk, his hands stuffed into his pockets and one leg crossed over the other. "I'm glad that you decided to come this summer. I'm glad that you're taking an interest in the company. It…" he sighed, "it puts an old man at ease to know that you and your brother understand what it is that your father and I built."

Ricky smiled and nodded, seeing just a glimpse of Giuseppe's age and knowing how rare a moment it was. "Ben and I only want to make you both proud." He said, lingering in the doorway for just a beat longer as Giuseppe crossed his arms and held his gaze.

"I know," the old man replied. He gave a last nod before standing and coughing gruffly, breaking the moment completely as he turned. "Well, off to it then. I'll see you in the morning and remember, stay away from that intern."

Ricky nodded and exited the room, smiling as he stuck his own hands in his pockets and headed toward the elevator.

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><p>Amy sighed deeply and checked the clock once more, noting the amount of time that had passed since she entered Johnny's apartment. Helen, Johnny's mother, had given Amy a key for emergencies, in those moments when she couldn't pick Johnny up or when she needed a babysitter. But she had yet to contact Amy with where she was and how long she would be, leaving Amy stuck, unable to leave Johnny by himself. She wanted to groan at the fact that the minutes were dwindling down and if Helen didn't call soon she would have to call Ricky and cancel. After taking a final glance over at Johnny who sat glued to the television she sighed once more and stood from the couch.<p>

Entering the kitchen she took out her phone and dialed Helen's work extension, bypassing the automated messaging and tapping her foot to the call waiting music. She sighed deeply once again and leaned forward onto the counter her nails clicking against the granite. She began to lose herself into the automated hospital advertisement when the familiar click of someone picking up the line cut through it. She held her breath and hoped that Helen was available.

"Good evening, Lennox Hill Hospital Emergency Care, Gwen speaking, how can I help you?"

"Gwen!" Amy cried, standing up straight, "It's Amy, Helen's babysitter."

"Amy!" Gwen responded, "Hi, let me guess, you're looking for Helen?"

"Yeah," she sighed, "is she available?"

She heard Gwen exhale on the other end and felt her hope fade just a little, "I'm sorry Amy, I thought Helen called you, two of our nurses called in sick and we just got a bad car accident rushed into the unit, she's stuck here for at least another hour and a half."

"Oh," Amy closed her eyes and shook her head, "Um, no that's alright, I just wanted to see if…if I should make dinner for her and Johnny or not. No big, I hope everything turns out alright. Tell her I called?"

She could nearly picture Gwen's sympathetic smile, "Sure Amy, I'll let her know." And with that Amy heard the familiar click of the line being dropped and groaned.

"Great," she sighed, turning to lean her back against the counter. "Well," she glanced back at her phone, "Might as well make my rounds."

She first called her mother to let her know where she was and that she would be home late. Then called her sister to tell her she needed to find some time to go home and feed Moose their dog. Lastly, she texted Mariah and Megan, letting them know that if they needed her she would be at Johnny's house, though she ignored Megan's immediate response asking about her dinner date. She really didn't feel like going into it with her. That left Ricky last on her list and she sighed, genuinely disappointed that the night didn't pan out the way that she thought it would. "Maybe it's a sign," she muttered to herself. "Maybe this is all for the best." Though even those words felt oddly disappointing as they left her.

Scrolling to his name in her contacts she clicked _call_ and pressed the phone to her ear. It rang twice before he picked up. "Calling to cancel?" His tone was teasing, making her call even harder to make and she sighed, unsure of how to say it now that he had unintentionally guessed. "Amy?" She could hear traffic behind him, like he was outside walking and a part of her shuddered to think that he was walking toward her apartment.

"Yeah, sorry!" She replied, rolling her eyes at herself, "I'm here, I just…" she trailed off, "Listen, I hate to do this but…something's come up."

"Let me guess," he chuckled, "Johnny's mom got held up at the hospital and you're stuck babysitting him until she comes home?"

To say that she was at a loss for words would be an understatement. Amy found herself unable to even look for words to say, her mind trying to wrap around how he could have possible guessed the situation. "How—How did you-?"

He chuckled again and sighed, "I'm one hell of a guesser."

His joking brought her laugh as well, though she rolled her eyes, "No, come on. Really, how did you know?"

She could picture him smirking, though it somehow didn't annoy her the way it usually would have with anyone else. "I stopped by the Foundation on my way home," he explained, the amusement still evident in his voice. "I wanted to see if I could catch you before you went home, but Margaret said you had already left."

"Okay," Amy sighed, "But how did you know that I'm stuck waiting for Helen?"

"Well," Ricky started again, "Just as I was about to leave, Johnny's mom called the Foundation looking to talk to Margaret, from what I gathered, she got stuck at work and wouldn't be able to pick up Johnny. Margaret explained that you had taken him home and would most likely stay with him until she came back."

"I see," Amy replied, the initial shock of Ricky's "guessing skills" fading as she realized what had happened. "So you knew I was going to call."

"Oh I expected it," Ricky replied, "Now, that's not to say I wasn't hoping that Helen would be relieved some time soon, but I thought it best to wait it out."

"Ah, well," Amy sighed once again, "It seems that both of our waits have been in vain. I just called the hospital and they told me that Helen probably won't be let off for another hour and a half." She looked down, scuffing her shoe against the tiled floor, "I'm sorry about tonight."

"Don't be," Ricky answered, "I understand, we'll just have to figure something out."

Amy nodded, though she knew that Ricky couldn't see her. "So, what are you going to do then? Since our plans must be scrapped."

Ricky was silent for a while, she could hear the traffic behind him, then the shuffle of him moving and she wondered where he was headed, maybe looking for a taxi to take him home? "Well, thought I'd still have some dinner, maybe some Chinese." He finally spoke, "What about you? Have you eaten?"

She shook her head again before she thought to speak, "No, I was just thinking of ordering pizza or something, but Chinese sounds good."

"Well, your wish is my command." He said, causing Amy to furrow her brow.

"What?"

She heard a knock on the door and moved to stick her head out of the kitchen just as Johnny yelled, "Amy! Someone's at the door!"

She glanced at the apartment door questioningly, suddenly unsure of what to do when Ricky spoke again, "Open it," he said, more than a hint of amusement in his voice. "Go on, you might want to get that."

Taking just another beat longer before moving Amy made her way across the carpet to the white apartment door. She tiptoed up to peep through the peephole and laughed instinctively, reaching for the deadbolt and pulling the door open.

"What are you doing here?" She cried out, amazed and shocked to see Ricky Underwood, dressed in a suit and tie, holding two brown paper bags of Chinese in his arms.

"Well we we're scheduled to go out for dinner, but seeing as you can't leave Johnny's house I'd figure we'd stay in. You wanted Chinese right?" He shot her a teasing smirk as he took advantage of her surprise, slipping in passed her and entering the apartment.

"Ricky!" Johnny cried, getting up and leaping to hug Ricky around his knees.

"Hey little man, I heard you were hungry. Your stomach was rumbling so loud I could hear it across town."

The young boy laughed and shook his head, "No it wasn't!"

Ricky set the food down on the coffee table and fixed him with a steady glance, "Yes it was, haven't you been watching the news? We just had an earthquake! Though what the don't know is that it wasn't really an earthquake at all, but your stomach crying out for food."

"Nuh uh!" Johnny cried out, though his smile betrayed his mock anger, "Maybe it was Amy's!"

Ricky laughed and glanced back at Amy who had deadbolted the door and now stood leaning up against the wall, still surprised. "Maybe it was," he teased again, holding Amy's gaze for a minute longer before turning back to Johnny. "Which is why we better start eating this up. I don't think New York could handle another tummy rumble like the last one."

Johnny and Ricky laughed once more, pulling Amy as much out of her surprise as she imagined she could get, and she cleared her throat. "I guess I'll get the plates then." She pushed herself up off the wall and headed toward the kitchen, glancing back to see Ricky watching her go. Johnny had picked up a DVD case from the floor and was waving it in the air asking him if they could watch it while they ate to which Ricky replied yes, though his gaze stayed steady on Amy. As she disappeared into the kitchen she tried to wrap her mind around what exactly was going on but couldn't. Ricky Underwood was simply doing too well to surprise her every chance he got.

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><p><strong>AN: Ricky Underwood really does have the capability to be really sweet when he wants to be. =] I hope you liked this chapter dear readers and that it will satiate you until my next update. Review please!<strong>


	8. Getting to Know You

**AN: So, all grad apps are done, now I am in the midst of my last quarter of school, post-grad plans, including a teaching sponsorship (across the world) AND my job related/church related spring showcases. Busy, busy, busy, BUT I will be more consistent. I will try to update every Sunday (give or take a day) and that is a promise. =] Enjoy!**

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><p>The food had been eaten clean from the take out containers by the time the movie came to an end and Johnny lay sleeping across both Amy and Ricky's laps. Feeling stuffed Amy tilted her head to the side to find Ricky looking back at her, his half-lidded eyes mirroring her own with a lazy smile. He patted his stomach, "Whew," he said, leaning his head back against the couch as Amy had, "I am sleepy now."<p>

Amy giggled and nodded her head, "Same here," she glanced down at Johnny and ran a hand through his hair. "But Johnny beat us to it," she laughed. "I better get him off to bed before Helen comes home."

"You go ahead," Ricky said, gently lifting Johnny's legs and setting them down on the couch. "I'll clean up in here." Amy nodded, too lethargic to argue, and lifted Johnny's head up so she could slip off the couch. Once standing she turned to pick up the boy and hoisted him up into her arms. With a smile she nodded at Ricky and headed toward Johnny's room. She was thankful that halfway through the movie they had paused it to let Johnny change and brush his teeth, so now there wasn't much left to do than tuck him in. She slid Johnny between the sheets and slipped him his stuffed dinosaur, pulling the comforter over him as he shifted into a comfortable position. He stayed sleeping, looking content with even a hint of a smile, and Amy couldn't help one of her own, glad he had enjoyed himself. Leaning down she kissed his forehead and then switched on his nightlight.

When she reached the kitchen she found Ricky filling two mugs with hot liquid, the sweet smell of chamomile wafting through the kitchen. "Hey," he said, seeing her in the doorway, "I found some tea, thought you'd might like some."

"Yeah," she sighed, leaning against the frame of the door, "Sounds good. And thanks," she crossed her arms. "I still can't believe you're here." Ricky glanced over at her and smiled, shaking his head as he walked over to the counter.

"Don't have to thank me," he said, "Really. I just wanted to see you tonight." Amy bit her lip, feeling her face heat up as he pulled a packaged fortune cookie from his pocket. "Now," he smiled, "open your fortune cookie."

Amy squinted at him, noting the glint in his eye and knowing that her head was screaming for her to get out of this situation, but took the cookie anyway as well as the steaming mug of tea. _'You can do this Amy,'_ she said to herself, _'You can do this.'_

"Did you open yours already?" she asked as he followed her to the couch. Ricky shook his head and held up his own cookie, pulling at his tie as he sat down. They settled their mugs on the table and turned to face one another.

"Do it on three?"

Amy smiled, "One,"

"Two," he gripped his own cookie in one hand as she held two sides with both of hers.

"Three!" They cried out together, Ricky squeezing so that his wrapper popped open and Amy ripping hers. Cracking the cookie in half Ricky popped a piece in his mouth and carefully fingered the paper, turning it over so that he could read it properly.

"You will be rewarded for your generous acts of chivalry." Glancing up at her he wiggled his eyebrows and Amy giggled with a roll of her eyes. He smiled, "What does yours say?"

Amy took the small cut of paper while placing a piece of cookie between her lips. She sucked the end that was in her mouth as she read and furrowed her brow, "Wha-?" She nearly dropped the cookie from her mouth, but caught it in time to pop it into her mouth. She giggled in confusion.

"What?" Ricky asked. "What is it?"

Amy met his gaze and held the piece of paper out to him, "It says," she laughed, "Don't kiss an elephant on the lips, today."

"What?" He laughed. "No it doesn't." But as he took the paper from her and read it's words he shook his head, "That has got to be the craziest fortune I've ever seen."

"That's the best fortune I've ever had," she laughed. "And the best advice."

Ricky shook his head at her, her laugh infectious, "I didn't know that kissing an elephant was an option for you."

Amy sighed and shrugged, "You never know."

Ricky laughed, holding out the fortune to her, "Or maybe it's a metaphor. Maybe you're going to have the option of kissing someone who is…gray, big, and wrinkly."

Amy made a face before taking another sip of her tea, "No, you're right. That _doesn't_ sound like my kind of thing." They laughed once again together before slipping into a comfortable silence. She took the time to study him from over the brim of her cup, her hair falling just in front of her face. Ricky Underwood was quickly becoming more and more of a mystery to her as the days passed. She knew now that she had misjudged him, assigned him, too soon, to the twinkle in his eye and the dimple in his cheek. She had pegged him as a charmer, which he was, but had not foreshadowed his sweetness or his sincerity and it made him all the more intoxicating to her. "So how was your day? Tough day at the office?" she asked, reaching over to set her cup down and brushing her hair out of her face. "I'll admit, you don't seem like a suit and tie kind of guy."

Ricky laughed, looking down at his clothes, loosening his tie even more. "Yeah, well…" he set his cup down also and turned to face her. "When I was younger I never thought corporate would be my uniform either, but, dreams change, just like people." He sighed once again before throwing her a smile. "And today was a good day. My uncle is a higher up in BB and I'm like…his personal intern. He's teaching me the ropes and I don't get to see him very often, so it's nice being able to spend time with him."

"Aw," Amy cooed, pulling her knees to her chest, "That's sweet. So is he the reason why you want to work at BB?"

Ricky tilted his head toward her and nodded, "Yeah, him and my dad. My dad works at BB back home. You could say that my brother and I grew up being believers in the company."

He eased into their conversation, enjoying the company in a way that he never did with Adrian. Amy bit her lip and perked up, "So you have a brother? That's cool. Younger or older?"

"Younger," Ricky replied, "but only by a year. And we're adoptive brothers. His parents adopted me when I was thirteen, though they never mention it. In their opinion, I've always been part of the family."

Amy smiled and leaned her head onto her fist, "I have a step-sister and brother who live with my dad out of state; he got remarried last year. But I also have a younger sister, Ashley, and she's two years younger than me, though she acts like she's fifteen years older."

Ricky laughed, "Ben's the same way. He acts like an old man sometimes, dresses like one too, but he's a good guy and he's hard not to love.

Amy rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Well, Ashley's a handful. She's fourteen and she's really smart, but she also thinks that she knows everything."

"What fourteen-year old doesn't?"

At this Amy laughed, "Yeah, that's true. It's just that Ashley's…I don't know; kind of anti-social? I know she means well, but sometimes…she can be a little off."

Ricky smiled and leaned toward Amy, "Well that's the age we usually are. I mean, me at fourteen was a nightmare." He laughed with her this time before leaning back, watching her steadily as she brushed her hair back once more. "She'll grow out of it, eventually."

"Let's hope so." Amy sighed and smiled up at him, "So tell me something else, something…more."

Ricky shrugged, "What do you want to know?"

Amy tilted her head, "I don't know…anything."

He took a moment to think, folding his hands in front of him and scooting just a bit closer to Amy. "Well," he sighed, "I sometimes look for parks that have baseball fields and sit nearby so I can hear the commentator and the cheering. I like to close my eyes and fall asleep listening to the games. At home, I don't like sleeping with the door closed, but my brother Ben needs it shut to fall asleep. So when we were younger and shared a room I had to wait for him to fall asleep before I could open it. History is my favorite subject in school, but I'm really good at math and I like Italian mobster movies because the accents are really cool." He looked at her with a grin and motioned to her, "Your turn."

Amy laughed and nodded, taking in all the information before raising her own eyes to the ceiling. "Okay," she began, "Um…I like to listen to jazz music when I run, usually upbeat big band pieces because it gets the juices flowing. I need to have a cuddle pillow when I sleep or else I feel too cold and wake up grumpy. I suck at math, but love English and Science and I adore British television, mostly because the accents sound cool."

Ricky smiled and crossed his arms, sinking back into the couch. "I love big band music. When I was younger that was all I listened to: Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Bill Richmond. You know," he said, smiling just a bit wider, "Bill Richmond wrote some of the Jerry Lewis movies. I love Jerry Lewis."

Amy made a face and laughed, "Really? I never got into Jerry Lewis."

"What!" He turned to face her completely, "Come on, you're pullin' my leg." Amy scrunched up her face and shook her head, and Ricky playfully mirrored her expression.

"Three stooges?"

"No," Amy scoffed.

"Marx Brothers?" He offered, but she responded the same, a beat of silence following as they appraised each other.

Finally Amy rolled her eyes and smiled, "How about Dumb and Dumber? I loved that."

Ricky smiled and nodded, dropping his gaze, just to peek back up at her. "Yeah, like, when he hit her with that snowball?"

"Yeah!" Amy laughed, the two relishing in the shared bond as Ricky shook his head.

"I am going to make a believer out of you. Jerry Lewis was a genius."

Amy again rolled her eyes and shrugged, "You're welcome to try." Picking up both hers and Ricky's empty mug she stood from the couch, heading into the kitchen. Ricky stood as well, following her in and finding her washing the mugs by hand.

He leaned against the counter and stuck a hand in his pocket, "So," he sighed, "was that an invitation to a second date?"

She snorted and tilted her head toward him, "This was _not _a date remember?"

He nodded, holding his hands up in mock surrender, "So you say, but…you're still willing to see me again? Right?"

Amy regarded him for a moment, biting her lip as she lathered the mugs in soap. "Maybe…" She wanted to say yes right away; she, actually, almost did, but that fact, in it of itself was more alarming than she could express. Dropping her gaze to the mugs with a sigh her hands reached up instinctively to brush her bangs back, but stopped suddenly seeing her hands full of suds. She paused, letting a few bubbles fall back into the water before a gentle touch brushed passed her forehead and swept her bangs back, her face following it to find Ricky suddenly a breath away from her.

She felt her throat close up as his hand ran through her hair, his fingers softly brushing her scalp as it went and causing her heart to flutter. She looked into his eyes and got lost, the look he was giving her one that she could define, but was intoxicating, none-the-less. She let out a heavy breath and realized he was moving closer, his hand cupping just behind her ear and his thumb tracing against her cheek. "Ricky, what are you-?"

"I don't know," he responded, whispering back just as she had whispered to him. She was rooted in place, watching as he came so close that he could feel his breath on hers. Her heart was pounding so loud that it drowned out the screams of protest from her brain, but as she looked up at him, eyes wide and clearly confused he paused and softened his gaze. "Ames…" She closed her eyes and stepped to him, brushing her nose against his, feeling as though there was no going back.

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><p><strong>AN: Dun dun dun! 'Till next time lovelies. I hope you enjoy the Ramy fluff, but just a bit of a warning, it's not going to be THAT easy for the OTP. That's just how the drama is.<strong>


	9. A Call for Space

**AN: Here you are, as promised. So I'm about 50 minutes late, I apologize. Sundays are hard days for me, but I WILL be consistent in this. I promise. Anyway, enjoy! AND PLEASE REVIEW!**

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><p>Amy's arms slipped around Ricky's neck as his wrapped around her waist. She pressed her wrists together behind his head, instinctually aware that her hands were still soapy, but was otherwise distracted. His lips were doing well to captivate her mind and as they breathed each other in, falling deeper and deeper, Amy's head began to spin.<p>

She had never felt anything like it before. She was on fire and the way Ricky's lips were moving above hers was like the fuel, building the flame between them. Then, just as Amy couldn't help the purr escape her mouth, the sound of a thudding door broke through, successfully breaking them apart. "Amy? I'm home. Where are you?"

Amy's eyes widened as it all sunk in, the beat of shock resonating throughout her entire body before she found her voice. "I-in here," she squeaked out, pulling away from Ricky and turning back to the sink, a blush rising to her cheeks. "In here!" she called out again, running the water and rinsing her hands clean of suds.

"Ames," Ricky tried again, just as Helen walked through the door.

"Oh, thank you both so much for your help tonight. Let me tell you, that shift was crazy." Amy forced a smile up at Helen and nodded, taking the mugs in the sink once more to lather them in soap again. "N-no problem," Amy breathed out, busying herself with the dishes. "No problem at all."

"And Ricky," Helen gushed, turning her attention to him, "Thanks again for offering to bring them dinner. What did you end up having?"

He took a moment to answer, his brain blanking for a second before offering Helen a humble smile, "I just picked up some Chinese. Uh…Johnny went to sleep without opening his fortune cookie, but I'll just, uh, leave it for him here?" Amy heard the crackle of the fortune cookie wrapper and sucked in a breath of her own as the evening came rushing back to her.

"Of course, that's fine," Helen gushed before casting a glance at Amy, "Amy dear," she said, "You don't have to do that, I'll take care of it, don't worry."

"Um…" Amy laughed nervously, "It's alright, I'm just…rinsing them," she finished lamely, turning off the sink and drying her hands.

"Well, you two have done enough," Helen said, reaching out to rest a hand on both of their shoulders and Amy met her gaze while avoiding Ricky's. "Remind me that I owe you both dinner for your help."

"Oh no, you don't-"

"That's not—"

The two of them met each other's gaze as Helen waved them off and smiled, "Really, it's the least I could do."

Amy opened her mouth again to protest, but was cut off by Ricky saying, "Alright, whatever you say. But, again, it's unnecessary."

Amy pursed her lips and bit back her annoyance at the thought of Ricky speaking for her. She sighed, "Well, it's late. I should get home." She smiled at the older woman and gave her hug then turned toward Ricky and tried to focus just above his eyes than actually on them, "Ricky, thanks again for bringing dinner, I know Johnny really likes having you around."

"Yes, he really does," Helen smiled, "Ricky's actually taking Johnny to a ballgame at the end of the month."

"Oh," Amy nodded, finding it easier to push through her previous haze if she focused on Helen instead of Ricky. "That's great. Johnny will love that."

"I was actually going to ask you if you wanted to come with us Ames, I have an extra ticket."

"Uh…" Amy paused, unsure of how to escape, "I'll…have to see. I might be working." Before Ricky could respond Amy turned to Helen once more and smiled wide, nodding to the older woman. "Well, I'll let myself out Helen and I'll see you tomorrow?" Helen nodded and Amy took her exit, hearing Ricky mirror the sentiments with Helen before following her out.

"Wait, Ames," Ricky said, picking up his jacket, "I'll take you home."

She had just exited the front door, Ricky following and closing it behind them when she spun around quickly and shook her head, "No, it's alright, I only live a few blocks away, it isn't that far."

"But it's late Ames," Ricky reasoned, "Even you said. I wouldn't want you walking around unaccompanied."

Amy fixed him with a steady glare, "Ricky, I'm a New Yorker, I can take care of myself." She began to walk away again, but Ricky followed her, falling in step beside her as they took to the stairs.

"I'm not saying you can't Ames, but…at least let me walk you. Not for you, but for me. I just want to make sure you get home safe."

"I'm not going to get lost, Ricky. This is my city remember? You're the foreigner."

He sighed deeply as they reached the ground floor and reached out to her, "Ames, wait." She sighed and turned, pulling her elbow out of his hand and crossing her arms in front of her. "Come on, you know that this isn't about you not being capable, it's just…" He asked, sticking his hands in his pockets, "I thought we were having a good time."

Amy sighed again as she looked down at her shoes and hugged herself tighter. "We were," she said, taking one step closer to him, but leaving enough space to ensure the divide she was stating. "But…this is all happening a little too fast for me. This was supposed to just be us getting to know each other and instead we're making out in Helen's kitchen."

"Hey," Ricky said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, but…" he held Amy's gaze as he took one step closer, not reaching out to her, but coming close, "you can't deny, we've got something here. Next time, I promise to control myself better, but…tonight…you and me? It felt right."

Amy ran a hand through her hair and let out a shaky breath, the cold beginning to nip at the bottom of her throat. "Ricky, I don't think there can be a next time. I just…I don't think this is a good idea. I just…" she sighed. "This is all too much. I told you, this was just supposed to be a dinner _between friends_."

"It was," he reasoned, but stopped at the look she gave him.

"But friends don't flirt. Friends don't kiss! And if we want to stay friends, which, at this point, is what _I_ want, then that can't happen anymore." She saw the disappointment in her eyes, saw the spark go out and she bit her lip, trying to hold on to her resolve. She was being honest and she needed to be honest with him if she was going to be fair to both of them. "I just…" She sighed once more and stepped once more toward him, resting a hand on his chest, trying to ignore the fog that began to permeate around them, "I just need some space. Okay?" She began to finger his shirt, feeling the urge to kiss him come over once more and then pulled away. "I'm sorry." And, turning on her heel, she left, aching inside with something she had never felt before.

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><p>It had been two weeks since Ricky had heard anything from Amy and he was beginning to feel restless. She had asked for space and he had respected that, but he couldn't deny how much he wanted to see her. At the same time, he was also extremely annoyed with himself for letting a girl get to him like this. No girl had ever been able to make Ricky Underwood <em>this<em> antsy. Not even Adrian, but Amy had succeeded in completely unsettling his nerves. He could still feel her lips on his. Unbuttoning his jacket, Ricky pulled out the sales reports he had been charged with copying; Uncle Ben rather annoyed with his tenseness. _"If you don't stop shaking that leg of yours I will personally cut it off and make a sausage out of it."_ The short walk to the copy room was well received by both he and Uncle Ben, but it did very little to keep him from checking his phone, practically willing her to contact him.

With a sigh he opened the top of the copier and set his form on the glass screen, keying in all the proper adjustments before pressing the big green "GO" on the interface.

_**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.**_

Furrowing his brow, Ricky pushed the button again, but the screen flashed, _**NEED TONER**_ and he sighed. "Great."

"Need some help?" Ricky turned to see Karlee, the sex-addict intern, leaning against the doorframe and he coughed gruffly, recognizing the look in her eye.

"Nope," he said, "Just needs toner." He moved towards the supply cupboard, feeling her eyes following him and tried to ignore the familiar spark in her eyes. He remembered when he used to look at Adrian like that, when he wanted something less than appropriate for the work place. Coughing again he found the right toner cartridge and walked back to the copy machine. "Did you need something?" He asked, throwing her a polite smile, only meaning to provide some small talk to the uncomfortable pressure in the room.

Karlee smiled with half-lidded eyes, sauntering toward him with a file in her hand, "Just need to make some copies." Ricky nodded, pulling the old empty cartridge out and tossing it in the trash. He had just set the new cartridge in and keying in the correct keys when he felt her against close in on him and he sighed.

"I'll only be a few minutes, then the machine is all yours."

She threw him a sexy smirk and leaned in, "The machine isn't really my type."

Ricky bit his lip, upset at the way her presence did raise a reaction from him, but stepped away as the familiar beep of a finished copy job cut through. He lifted the top lid and slid his original form before stepping away and collecting the copies in the output bin. "What coincidence," he said, "Neither am I." Stepping towards the door he nodded at Karlee with a polite smile and saluted. "You're welcome, you know, for changing the toner," and then he went, sighing in relief as he headed back toward his Uncle's office.

Taking out his phone he scrolled to Amy's name and clicked send, ducking into an empty cubicle as he brought the phone to his ear. It rang three times before going to voicemail and Ricky ran a hand over his face. _"Hi, this is Amy Juergens. Sorry I couldn't answer, but if you leave me a message I'll be sure to get back to you as soon as I can." __**BEEP.**_

He took a minute to speak, fingering his paper copies, then sighed. "Hey Ames, it's me. Uh…" his mind was drawing a blank as he exhaled deeply and ran a hand through his hair, "Haven't heard from you in a while. I, uh, I know you wanted space, but…well I wasn't sure how much." He glanced at the clock and knew that he spent too much time away and stood. "Um, look," he sighed, "Just…just give me a call when you can. When you're…ready. Okay? Alright…bye."

He hung up and stared at his phone, watching the timer blink at "00:02:15" and mentally kicking himself for wasting time on such a pointless message. He had screwed it up and he suddenly felt like he would never hear from Amy Juergens.

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><p>"<em>Hey Ames, it's me uh…Haven't heard from you in a while. I uh, I know you wanted space, but…well I wasn't sure how much." <em>There was a pause. _"Um, look, Just….just give me a call when you can. When you're ready. Okay? Alright….bye."_

Amy sighed and leaned back against the wall of the break room. Closing her eyes she dropped her head back against the wall and groaned. "This is _so_ not good."

"What?"

Startled she stood up from her place and glanced over by the door to see Megan and Mariah watching her curiously. "Oh. Nothing," she said, waving them off, "Just…got a phone call."

"Ooh," Megan cooed, stepping toward Amy with a teasing smile, "From Ricky? Haven't heard from him in a while."

Amy pursed her lips and rolled her eyes, "Yeah. I know."

Mariah crossed her arms and shuffled her feet, scuffing her toe against the linoleum, "Well, that isn't exactly his fault now is it?"

Amy and Megan turned to Mariah and Amy bit her lip, knowing that Ricky must have said something to her. "I never said it was Mari. But it's for the best, really."

"What?" Megan interjected, "What are you talking about? What happened?" She looked back and forth between Mariah and Amy, both girls glancing at her then back at each other before Mariah motioned to Amy.

"Ask her."

Then she took a seat as Megan turned her attention fully to Amy. Amy squirmed under the gaze of her friend, wanting to open her mouth and tell her that she didn't really want to talk about it, but instead sighed, resigning to the fact that she wouldn't be able to get away. She moved to sit down as well, a table away from Mariah as Megan pulled a chair next to her. She then began to reveal the events of that evening, crossing her legs as she told her friends every detail right up until the end.

As she finished both were looking at her with wide eyes, even Mariah, who had obviously only heard Ricky's side, and Amy could feel herself tense for the coming onslaught.

"Ames," Megan finally said, "Why would you do that? He brought you dinner, you flirted, you shared stories and then you kissed! It was the perfect first date and you threw it away!"

Amy shook her head and leaned forward on her knees, "I wasn't throwing anything away. It wasn't a date or, at least, it wasn't supposed to be one." She sighed and brushed her bangs back once more before shaking her head, "I was protecting myself. I was protecting him! I don't want to be in a relationship and it's better to stop this now before someone gets hurt."

Mariah shook her head and rested her elbows on the table, "Amy, it looks like people are already hurt. And, look, I know Ricky, he may have a bit of a bad boy look and reputation, but he _really_ likes you and I've never seen him so wound up before over _anyone_. He keeps asking about you and asking about you and if he wasn't so smitten, he would have moved on by now. But, from what you've told us, you really like him too. So, what's the problem?"

"What's the problem?" Amy cried, throwing her hands up in the air. "The problem is, we have one night out together and we're already all over each other. Yeah, I do like him, he's sweet and charming and not at all like I thought he was going to be, but…he's leaving at the end of the summer and if we keep going the way we were going…it's just going to get too hard…" she trailed, knowing she didn't have to explain to her friends her fears as they suddenly relaxed into their chairs, their expressions melting into sympathetic ones.

"Oh, Ames," Megan sighed, "No one's saying you have to figure all of that out now, but don't waste the opportunity to have a great summer fling with a great guy."

Amy groaned, "I don't want a summer fling! I don't want some kind of casual relationship with a timer on it. I want to just do my work, hang out with my friends, and be drama free for the rest of the summer. And a relationship of ANY kind with a guy, no matter how great he is, would just complicate that."

Both Megan and Mariah looked at each other, sharing a silent conversation as Amy sighed and fiddled with her phone. "Well, what about a real relationship? Do you think that's possible with Ricky?"

Amy scoffed as she glanced up at Megan and shook her head, "Didn't you hear me? He's leaving at the end of the summer when his internship ends; going back home to his family and his friends, maybe even an ex-girlfriend."

Mariah scoffed and shook her head, "Oh no he's not. That ex-girlfriend of his is a mess and he told me that he's done with her."

Amy cringed at the thought of another girl and closed her eyes, "It doesn't matter," she sighed, opening her eyes and sitting back in her chair, "Like I said, he's leaving. There is no chance for a _real_ anything other than a _real _waste of time."

Megan shook her head, "I think you're blowing this out of proportion Amy. I mean, you can't shortchange every possibility just because there is a chance of it not working. Remember? We talked about this. And, who cares if he's leaving? Not all long distance relationships fail."

Again, Amy scoffed and stood, "But most do. And I just don't feel comfortable taking those chances. You could say I'm just afraid to take the risky but…honestly, I don't think I could bear it if Ricky turned out to be a mistake." She headed toward the door, reaching the clock in/out machine and grabbed her time card. It was her short day and she was itching to go home, to sink herself into a warm bath and forget the past two weeks and how much she wanted to call Ricky and see him. That was the reason she was freaked out, just how quickly he had burrowed into her every day thought. It _was _for the best, because they were already falling in deeper than they should be.

"Amy," Mariah called out, just before she exited the room. She turned to look at her friend and found her staring at her with a level expression. "I understand what your hesitations are and you're my friend, so I'll respect your decision even though I think you're ultimately keeping yourself from something that could potentially be really good for, not just you, but for Ricky. But at the same time, he is my brother and if you don't want him pursuing you, then you need to tell him soon and not string him along with the possibility of you." She set her jaw and crossed her arms, making it, abundantly, clear to Amy where she stood on this. "Call him and get it over with."

Amy swallowed hard and paused, her mind processed the request and she nodded, trying to suppress the ache in her that had been there for the passed two weeks. "I will," she said, "I promise," and with that she left.

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><p><strong>AN: Gosh this chapter was hard to write. There are so many things I wanted to put into this. I was so darn tempted to write a KarleeRicky flirting scene, even if it was rebound flirting, but...this Ricky is a very different than the Ricky in the show. He's had the example of love and he's also known what it's like to be in a relationship based on lust, therefore, he knows the difference between a Karlee and an Amy. That's where the divide is. On the flipside, this Amy has seen most relationships fall apart around her. She doesn't have a son to show her what it truly feels like to love someone and was never with Ben to make her see that some relationships can weather many storms. So, in short, whenever I would try to write a more canon scene, it just felt weird, because...these characters are totally non-canon. Anyway, I hope that makes sense. Please read and review! And I'll see you next week.  
><strong>

**-scribbling wordsmith  
><strong>


	10. We'll Talk

**AN: I am SOOO sorry that this is so late. Like I've said before Sundays are super hard for me and so this just did not come together to make it to 11:59pm. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter and PLEASE REVIEW!**

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><p>Ricky shut his laptop and swept a hand through his hair. His eyes had yet to focus, still seeing numbers and figures in perfect excel boxes. Taking in a deep breath he rolled his head from side to side and groaned at the sound of his neck cracking.<p>

"Working hard?"

He turned to see Nora poking her head into the office and waved, stifling a yawn as he let out an exhausted laugh. "I guess, if you call sitting in front of a computer all day 'working'."

Nora chuckled, "Trust me, in this business, it is." and stepped in, crossing her arms as she came to stand beside him at his desk. She patted his shoulder and cocked her head to the side, her expression softening before she spoke, "So, did you get a hold of her?"

Ricky cringed, turning away, "No," he coughed gruffly, standing and putting his jacket back on. "And I really don't feel like talking about it."

He could feel Nora's eyes following him as he gathered his things and internally kicked himself for mentioning anything about Amy to Nora. But he hadn't been able to hide his agitation over their lack of communication from Nora and she was more astute to his behavior than he would care to admit.

"I'm sure she will call you soon, I mean, why wouldn't she? Look at you—"

"Mom!" He said, fixing her with a hard glare and knowing that using the matronly term would make her realize he was being serious. "I said, I didn't want to talk about it," he sighed, watching her nod before he turned back to his stuff.

"Right," Nora said, swinging her arms in front of her and snapping her fingers absent-mindedly as she searched for another subject to broach, "Well, are you going out with the other interns tonight? Marc is treating them to-"

"Dinner," Ricky finished with a nod, "I know, he told me." Settling his bag over his shoulder he turned toward her and sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I'm not sure, I think I was just going to head home. I still have some numbers to crunch and-"

"No. Ricky, come on. You're young and you have the rest of your life at the company to crunch numbers," she sighed, stepping toward him to rest her hands on his shoulders with a small smile. Ricky wanted to shy away from the sympathy shining in her eyes, but she kept a tight grip on him as she pressed him further, "Your uncle says you've been doing a lot of good work these last two weeks, but you need to go out, have some fun!"

Ricky rolled his eyes, "I did that already and look where that got me."

Nora mirrored Ricky and shook her head, "You went out with one girl in a city of millions. Just because it hasn't panned out doesn't mean it's all going to be like that."

"I know," he reasoned, "but-"

"No, buts," Nora said, slipping her hand to the other shoulder so that she took him under her arm, "This is your summer vacation! And as much as I love you working here I think you need to be reminded of what it is to be a kid again. Please," she begged, squeezing his shoulder, "I know you like this girl and, again, I know she'll call, but just for tonight, have some fun with Marc and the others. You need to blow off some steam."

Ricky sighed, staring down his birth mother with as much resistance as he could muster, but she held her ground until he eventually deflated. "Alright," he said with a roll of his eyes, "I'll stop by…"

Nora laughed and nodded, "Good enough." She patted him once more for good measure and then pulled away, opening the door for him to follow her out. They walked together through the office, falling into step with each other as well as a less tense conversation.

"So, what about you?" Ricky asked, nodding to a few employees he knew as they reached the elevator. "Are you coming tonight?"

Nora shook her head as she pressed the down button and sighed, "Wish I could, but your Uncle Ben has requested I fly out to the LA office tomorrow morning. I've got to go home and pack."

The elevator let out a loud ding as the doors slipped open and Ricky gestured for her to go ahead of him. He pressed "G" before turning back to his mother, "Wait, so you're going home? For how long?"

"Only two days," she answered as the doors closed in front of them, "I'll be back by Friday."

"What are you going to be doing over there?" Ricky asked, trying to sound flippant, but slightly jealous that his Uncle hadn't asked him to go.

"Just some PR stuff. I know for sure that your father wants to have a barbeque benefit there just like we had here, so I'll get the ball rolling, but ultimately leave it in the hands of Camille."

Ricky nodded, leaning against the back wall of the elevator and crossing one leg over the other. Nora mirrored his movement and crossed her arms, "I'm sorry," she said, nudging his shoulder, "I wish I could take you with me."

"No," Ricky said, shaking his head, "I get it. It's work related and I've got responsibilities here." Before Nora could say anything else the elevator doors slid open and they both shuffled out, passed a group of German businessmen talking gruffly to one another.

"So, where did Molino say they were meeting?" He asked, changing the subject once again as they passed through the lobby. The two stopped just short of the main entryway at the fork between the staff parking structure and the main street.

"It's a Tapas Bar over on 59th," a voice came from behind, pulling both Nora and Ricky's attention. Ricky bit back a groan as Karlee came sauntering over, her smile less provocative than it had been in the copy room, though the way her eyes flitted toward him, half-lidded and hungry, told another story. "Are you planning on going? Maybe we could share a cab?"

His first instinct was to deny it all, but before he could Nora placed a hand on his shoulder and answered for him, "He is and that would be a good idea, save some money."

"Well I-"

"Great, I'll meet you outside." The pair of them watched her leave, Ricky well aware of the extra swivel in her hips as she went and he rolled his eyes.

"She's cute," Nora teased, which only earned a deep sigh from Ricky as he rolled his shoulders.

"Right."

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><p>"Thank you," Amy waved, adjusting her scarf as she left the Vietnamese restaurant, careful to balance the takeout in her hand. She let the door swing to a close behind her and ventured off toward her apartment, deciding against hailing a cab and simply enjoying the early evening in New York. She was only a few blocks from the subway and figured the more time alone she spent the more time she had to think. Ricky's voicemail echoed in her head as she walked, her mind floating to the way he had said to call when she was ready, how utterly confused he sounded and her stomach clenched. She hated that it had come to this.<p>

Her kiss with Ricky had told her three things: one, that Ricky Underwood was one hell of a kisser. _'One hell of a kisser,'_ she sighed. Two, she really wanted to kiss him again, and three, kissing him made her willing to do things that she had been adamant about never doing, _ever_. And so that only left the truth: that she really had to stop this before it got any worse. She had ignored her instincts before and accepted the date with him, then again when she flirted with him at Johnny's house, now she couldn't afford to keep doing so. In all honesty, she was afraid of Ricky Underwood and all the feelings he had left her with, she would have to remember to explain that to him the next time she saw him. Amy did, however, feel sorry for having started it all with Ricky, leading him on, not stopping it before. She would have to apologize for that too when she saw him.

Amy, of course, had expected the next time she saw Ricky Underwood to be in the next few days, on her own terms, in her own time. Turning the corner on 59th street, one block away from the subway entrance, she had not expected to hear her name being called out. "Amy?" She had just about passed a bar she knew some of her older co-workers frequented, coming up on a popular Tapas Bar her parents had liked to go to when a cab pulled up in front of the restaurant and out stepped a leggy brunette, who walked forward toward the restaurant, and Ricky, still dressed in his work clothes and staring at her with wide eyes.

"Oh, uh…hey," She didn't know what to do, her mind went blank and she felt her body move to hug him, but her anxiety stopped her. They stood awkwardly in front of each other, both circling around the uncertainty of what to say, when Amy finally found her voice. With a cough, she folded her hand over the one holding the take out, "I, uh…long time, no see." She winced at her words and felt a blush rise to her cheeks, she wanted to die right there.

Glancing up at him she saw him smile and it made her feel worse. "Yeah," he breathed out, stepping forward, "I, uh-"

"Ricky?" Amy turned to see the leggy brunette approach them again, suddenly remembering that she had come out of the cab with Ricky, and her stomach plummeted. "You coming in?" Amy looked her up and down, noticing how her skirt came up just a tad too short for her own liking and that her top three buttons were undone. She had a small gap in her teeth, but otherwise her face was flawless, her hair down in soft waves. She was gorgeous and Amy suddenly felt extremely unattractive.

"Go ahead and go in Karlee, Just tell 'em I'll be a minute." Karlee looked at him, then at Amy, her gaze narrowing enough to make Amy shy away. Then she finally turned on her cute black pumps and retreated, Amy watching her saunter off suddenly feeling sick.

"Friend of yours?" Amy asked, the words slipping through her teeth as she turned back towards Ricky. She expected him to look bashful or maybe even dismissive, which would have made it a lot easier to be confident in her decision. But he didn't even look like he noticed Karlee, his gaze focused on her as he stepped closer. "I called you. Left a message. Did you get it?" Amy sucked in a breath and nodded.

"I did," she admitted, "I was going to call you tomorrow."

"Really?" he asked, unconvinced, "'Cause it seems to me that you were avoiding me."

Amy cocked her head and sighed, brushing her bangs back as she stuffed one hand into her coat pocket. "Maybe a little, but I told you I needed time." She didn't like the tone of his doubt in her or the way his expression faltered into one of doubt. "And I was going to call," she reasserted, shifting her weight, "I was going to call and ask you to meet me because we have some stuff we need to talk about."

"Well, I'm here now," he said, gesturing to their proximity, "let's talk."

"No," Amy said, shaking her head, "I have to get home and you," she looked toward the Tapas Bar, the red neon lights flashing against the dusk setting, "have a date to get to."

Ricky reeled back from her, "Woah, no. Date? I am not on a date."

"Really?" Amy asked in the same tone Ricky had with her, "Cause it seems like a date."

"No." Ricky said again, settling her with a steady gaze, "I'm having dinner with the other interns. Karlee is an intern at BB and we just took a cab together. It is _not _a date."

"Okay, fine," Amy said, holding up one hand in surrender, "It's not a date. But even if it was, you don't have to explain it to me. We were never…anything, so-"

"We were never anything _yet_," he insisted, taking one more step closer to her, which made her step back. "I think you and I both know what was happening."

Amy's jaw set and she bit her lip, feeling incredibly unprepared for this conversation. "Look, let's not talk about this now okay? My mom and my sister are waiting for me at home, you've got…" she cast a glance, again, at the restaurant, "friends," she sighed.

"Okay," Ricky nodded, "then when? When do you want to meet up?"

Amy turned back to him and brushed a hand through her hair, "Day after tomorrow? Lunch?"

"Okay," Ricky agreed, finally taking a step back as he nodded, "Okay." He sighed and looked back up at her, offering a smile. "Day after tomorrow. You'll text me where?"

She nodded, "Yup. See you then." Amy nodded at him one last time and moved passed him, breathing a heavy sigh in relief in getting away, but his hand found her wrist and pulled her attention back.

"I've really missed you Amy," he said, his eyes pouring into hers with the same intensity from the last time they were together, "and we're going to figure this out."

Her breath caught in her throat and she sighed, holding her breath as he let her go. "Bye," she whispered, turning away. She could feel his gaze follow her all the way to the end of the block and fought not to look back as she retreated down into the subway.

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><p><strong>AN: Ricky's always been a persistent pain in the butt that's hard not to love. I think that, out of the two of them, he is definitely the one to never give up. But also have no fear readers the RAMY is coming. Just like in the show Ricky Underwood is not one to be resisted even by a headstrong Amy. =] Keep on reviewing! Let me know what you think.<strong>


	11. Heart to Heart

**AN****: First off, I apologize for failing at my weekly updates. At the time that I stopped I got sucked into my finals which were INCREDIBLY more difficult due to them being my last finals ever. (I am a newly graduated from college with a Bachelor Degree in English to prove it) And then I also got word from one of my applications that I was offered a teaching sponsorship abroad and so I've had a lot of work to prepare for that. Things just got hectic. But with school over and the crazy winding down. I promise to finish this story before I leave next month. Anyway, enjoy the much awaited chapter. =]**

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><p>Amy's thoughts began to wander as she spooned her cupcake batter into the baking sheet; the smell of warm sugar and chocolate already filling every crevice of the kitchen. Her mind went over every detail of her encounter with Ricky from the way he stood as close as he could get to the sound of his voice as he said he missed her. It put her in a fog and she found her resolve crumbling, already feeling tired from trying to sidestep him. A part of her wanted to just enjoy his company for the rest of the summer. Have a "Sandy-Danny" like summer love and the just let the cards fall where they may at the end of it. But something inside always stopped her, this fear of it getting messy.<p>

What if Ricky wasn't who he seemed? What if he broke her heart and she spent the remainder of the summer even more cynical and jaded than she already was? Or what if he was perfect and she found she couldn't let him go? There were too many risks in Ricky Underwood and she wasn't sure she could take any of them.

Exhaling through her teeth Amy picked up the tray and turned to the oven. A rush of heat charged toward her as she opened it and she slid the sheet in, grabbing an oven mitt to pull out the cookie sheet below it. She was hit with the smell of cinnamon and vanilla and she breathed it in, immediately relaxing into a sugary embrace. She placed the tray on top of the stove and then turned back to the oven to check over her other batch of cookies and her two loaves of banana bread. They looked like they needed a few more minutes so she shut the oven door and pulled off her mitt just as someone entered the kitchen.

"Wow," Amy turned to see her mother taking in the sight of the kitchen, "Are you planning on feeding the entire city tomorrow?"

Amy blushed and crossed over to the other side of the counter where she had been icing cupcakes. "Sorry for the mess," she sighed, picking up her rubber spatula, "I just…wanted to do something nice for the kids…and staff…"

"Uh huh," Anne said, walking toward her, watching as she used the spatula to scoop icing into an icing bag. "So, everything is alright then?"

"Yeah," Amy said, just a little too quickly, "Why wouldn't it be?"

Anne took a moment to respond, letting Amy fill the bag and twist the end, testing the flow of icing in the bowl it had come from. "Well," she started, "You only ever bake this much when you have a lot on your mind…"

"I do not—"

"And your sister said that you've been acting weird."

Amy laughed, "Mom, come on! Coming from Ashley, _I'm_ the one acting weird?" Anne regarded Amy with a pointed look and Amy sighed turning back to her cupcakes.

"Look, it's nothing mom. I promise. I'm fine."

Anne sighed and gently placed a hand on Amy's arm, "Honey, you know that you can talk to me about anything. What's really going on?"

Amy held the bag, poised above a cupcake, but froze, the warmth of her mother's hand melting her nonchalance and she sighed. She laid the bag down on the counter and gripped the edge instead to try and steady her thoughts. She didn't know where to start or what to say until finally she looked up at her mom and bit her lip. "Mom, when you first met dad why did you think he was worth it?"

Anne furrowed her brow, "Worth what? Dating?"

Amy nodded and Anne leaned against the counter, crossing her arms as she thought it over. "Well," she said, "he was funny and charming and really interesting and I wanted to get to know him better. I wanted to know everything about him."

"Okay, then," Amy took a deep breath, "knowing now how it all panned out, all the drama and heartache that you got out of it. Even knowing that dad may have always loved Kathleen in a way, would you still say he was worth it?"

Anne tilted her head to the side slightly, concern washing over her, "Where is this coming from Amy?"

"Mom," Amy sighed, "please?"

Anne sighed and let the question turn in her head. "Yes," she finally responded, pulling a stool out from under the island and taking a seat, "I would still tell my past self to go for it with your father and I think he was worth the risk."

It was Amy's turn to become confused. "Why?"

Anne pursed her lips and smiled, picking up the rubber spatula and a cupcake. She slowly began to spread the icing by hand onto the cupcake before saying, "Because, as sad as I am that it didn't work out with your father, I still love him and we had, at least, fourteen _really_ good years." She smoothed the icing over the top and then reached for the sprinkles Amy had set out. "And he gave me you two girls. I could never say you weren't worth it. You two are worth more to me and your father than any drama between the two of us."

"But," Amy tried again, her mind having trouble wrapping around her mother's words, "He _cheated_ on you mom. He broke your heart!"

Anne nodded, "Yes he did. But," she sighed, "that is always a risk when you bring someone into your life. They could potentially break your heart or they could potentially complete it. And it's those risks that make you who you are and teach you what you need to know." She set down the completed cupcake on the cooling rack and smiled over at Amy, reaching for her hand to grip it in hers. "Your father taught me how to love and laugh when we were young and then he forced me to have to put the pieces back together when we weren't so young. He'll tell you the same thing about me. He'll say that we both grew stronger from what happened and we would never wish it didn't. Not now at least."

Anne squeezed Amy's hand just a little tighter to pull her gaze up, "Do you understand Ames?" She nodded, but Amy didn't look convinced. "Does it at least help you?" Anne asked and Amy's gaze flicked back up to meet her mother's.

"Yes," she muttered, almost to herself, "I think so."

"Okay," Anne sighed, "Well, do you need any help? Any more cupcakes to frost?"

It took Amy a moment to find her place again, but she quickly coughed and shook her cluttered thoughts away. "Um, if you could get the other cookie sheet out of the oven and the two banana breads that would be great."

Anne smiled and nodded, heading toward the oven. Her words snaked through all Amy's thoughts as she fingered the piping bag, but it only seemed to lead her in circles. She wasn't sure how to make heads or tails of what she was feeling, but she knew she would have to figure it out quick. Snatching her phone she texted Ricky before she had time to really stop herself with her doubts. _'Tomorrow. At the Foundation. Come by around noon for my lunch break and we'll talk then.'_

His response came back almost immediately and she struggled to bite back a smile, _'I'll be there.'_

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><p>Ricky slipped into the playground and scanned the area for Amy, his eyes finding her silhouette on the kick ball field just passed the jungle gyms. He made his way to the bleachers, finding a few kids scattered across the stands talking and laughing, a few glancing toward him and beginning to mutter to each other. He smiled politely at a few younger girls who sat across the way, the two blushing and giggling to one another before turning away. He fought back a laugh and turned his attention back to the field.<p>

He placed his jacket at his side and rested his elbows on his knees, scanning the kickball field as the game Amy's kids were playing progressed. He knew he was, at least, twenty minutes early, but he wanted to utilize the time to take Amy in. He hadn't been lying when he said that he had missed her and watching her in her element, with her day camp kids, enjoying the summer breeze, was intoxicating to him.

A kid kicked the ball over to right field where another little boy made a run for it. He got to the ball quickly and then immediately ran to try and overrun the kicker, he nearly grazed him, just passing second base until the outfielder tripped over his own feet and barreled into the player he was chasing. Amy quickly rushed forward, checking to see if the two boys were alright, but their laughter erupted from the pile.

Amy exhaled into a stop and Ricky watched as a smile slid up into her face, instantly feeling his own face mirror hers. It was hard not to follow her movements with his eyes as she lit up, laughing along with the rest of the kids.

"You know, some parents might think you're a pervert for smiling at their kids like that."

Ricky's attention whipped back into the bleachers, making him dazed as he glanced back. A girl sat at the top of the bleachers, pale and pretty with big blue eyes, dressed in dark jeans and a tight black long sleeved shirt. Under normal circumstances Ricky would have turned on the charm at the sight of her, but, now, she looked young, too young and too much drama to entertain.

"Well, then it's a good thing I'm lookin' at the counselor and not the kids," he said, pursing his lips and turning back to Amy. She was calling out to the kids, probably calling out one last play, and ushering them into position.

"Amy? You're looking at Amy?"

He sighed and nodded his head, his gaze following Amy as she backed up into right field and rested her hands on her knees. He couldn't help but trace the arch of her back and how her position highlighted the perfectness of her butt and her legs. If she knew where his thoughts were leading him she probably would have knocked him upside the head, but he would never tell her.

"So, you must be the boy she's been baking over."

He turned back at the comment, seeing that the girl still watching him; blank faced with her arms and legs crossed. She leaned against the back railing and fixed him with an icy stare, her paleness adding to the emptiness of her expression. "What?" He asked, resting on elbow on the seat behind him to face his upper body towards her.

The girl raised her brow at him and tilted her head to the side, "Baking," she said again, "Amy's been baking nonstop for the last two days." He looked confused and she sighed, rolling her eyes at him. "Let me share something with you okay? Amy _bakes_ when she's trying to make major decisions. Cupcakes, cookies, scones, breads. She can't help herself. And I'm guessing, with you here, you're probably what she's trying to work out in her mind. So, because of _you_, our apartment smells like a freaking bakery right now."

That's when her personality clicked with a name in his head. "Oh," he cried out, "You're Ashley, Amy's sister?"

The girl again rolled her eyes, "Wow, you are a lot slower than I thought you would be. No wonder Amy likes you so much."

He wanted to smile at her sarcasm, Amy was right when she said that Ashley was a little snobby, but instead he held out his hand to her and offered a friendly smile. "I'm Ricky," he offered, "The one who may be the cause of your diabetes."

Ashley glanced at his hand first, then back up at him before slipping her hand into his. She shook it with a strong grip, holding his gaze, muttering, "More like diabetes for the whole East side,"

Ricky laughed and nodded, "I'll be sure to issue an apology in the paper or something."

He saw her nearly smile as he pulled his hand away and rested his weight to look at her more comfortably. "So, Amy's been baking over me?"

"Don't get a big head now," Ashley said, the smile the threatened the corners of her mouth dropping instantly back into her blank expression. "Like I said, she bakes when she has a lot on her mind. "

"Well, at least it's not something dangerous like shooting at the range or getting into bar fights," he offered, laughing as Ashley rolled her eyes once again.

"Tell that to all the kids who are becoming obese and are at risk of high blood sugar because of her Snickerdoodles. I'm sure they feel the same way."

Ricky shook his head, "I'm sure they do too. Kids would hardly pass up Snickerdoodles, heck, I would never pass one up either."

Ashley raised her brow, "Not even for Amy's _actual_ 'Snickerdoodle'?"

"Ricky?" The shout came before Ricky could respond and he whipped around to see Amy fast approaching him with Johnny at her side.

"Ricky!" Johnny yelled out, running toward him and smiling from ear to ear. Ricky mirrored the smile and pushed himself onto his feet, just in time to scoop the boy into his arms.

"Hey little man," Ricky said, ruffling his hair, "Long time, no see."

Johnny nodded and hugged Ricky tight, just as Amy and the rest of the kids reached them. "You're here," Amy said, breathless, almost surprised and Ricky nodded, setting Johnny down to the ground.

"You said around noon right?"

Amy nodded and then glanced over Ricky's shoulder to Ashley who was still sitting in her same position. "And I see you've met my sister?"

Ricky glanced back at Ashley and nodded, "Yes. You never told me how much of a public servant she was." When Amy raised her brow in confusion Ricky chuckled as he ruffled Johnny's hair. "She's been keeping a watch out for perverts and raising awareness about the perils of diabetes. I gotta say Amy, your sister's a bit of a saint."

He cast another glance over at Ashley, who did not seem amused by his teasing as she stood, not even looking at him. "Look, I'm here like you asked to take over. 'Art with Miss Ashley' time is all set up in the craft room so that you can have your DTR, so go already."

Amy pursed her lips as Ricky raised a brow, "DTR?"

"_Defining the relationship_,' a little girl from the group piped up, throwing up a toothy smile at both Amy and Ricky. "My sister says that the DTR is the most important part of a relationship, but if you don't have it then you can see as many boys as you like. That's why she _never_ has a DTR."

Amy and Ricky both looked at each other, caught between shock and confusion, while Ashley raised her brow at the little girl, "Well, then, clearly, your sister is a-"

"Okay!" Amy cried out, clapping her hands and commanding the attention of all of the kids. "Let's get you all inside," she laughed, ushering the group forward and throwing Ashley her best reprimanding glare. "Miss Ashley has brought all of her paint and clay supplies for craft time so why don't we all head in to wash our hands while promising to be good, obedient, listeners to Miss Ashley." There was a general cry of elation from the kids as they rushed to the door the promise of colors and clay enough to distract them. Johnny was the last to follow, smiling up at Ricky and Amy before running after his friends.

"We're still going to the Yankee's game right Ricky?"

Ricky smiled, "We sure are buddy and maybe if my lunch with Amy goes well she'll agree to come with us." He cast a glance over at Amy and saw her bite her lip, clearly not amused by the pressure, but not blatantly denying the invitation either.

"Oh yeah!" Johnny cried out, "That would be great! You really should Amy! Ricky got us really really _really _good seats!"

Amy smiled and rested a hand on his shoulder, "We'll see buddy. Now, go on and catch up with the rest of the group." He hugged Amy quickly before skipping off after his friends and Amy sighed, "Well played Underwood, well played."

Ricky laughed and caught Ashley just as she rolled her eyes, "Catch you love birds on the flipside."

"Be good Ashley!" Amy said, fixing a steady gaze on her sister as she took off toward the kids. "And I mean it!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it Ames, jeez. I'm not a baby." And with that she disappeared within the building.

Amy sighed and shook her head, "So," she turned to Ricky, "that was Ashley."

Ricky chuckled and nodded, sticking his hand in his pocket as the two began to walk the opposite way toward the outside gate. "Yeah, but at least she's funny."

Amy rolled her eyes, "Yeah, when she's not making jokes at your expense."

Ricky shook his head, opening the gate for Amy and, like a gentleman, motioning her out. He smiled as she saw her suppress her own, "Well, remember, she's fourteen. I doubt she would know any other way to talk."

Amy laughed, "True."

He didn't feel the tension that was present in their last conversation and wanted to take it as a sign that they were in for a more pleasant talk than before. It was easy to fall back into step with her, easy to laugh and talk with her, in spite of the two weeks apart. But he would be lying if he said he didn't want more.

"So, where to?" He asked, his hand swinging closely to hers as they walked, he wanted nothing more than to lace his fingers through hers, but she took a subtle step away, creating a greater gap.

"Just around the corner," she coughed, crossing her arms in front of her. "There's a really great little diner the girls and I go to." Ricky nodded, not misinterpreting her actions, but finding the expression on her face to be one that was torn. Maybe it wouldn't be the passionate reconciliation he was looking for, but there was a chance. Before they rounded the corner he made a quick decision and took hold of her elbow so she would face him, his hands working quickly to snake around her waist and pull her close.

"Ricky-"

He stopped her with his grip as her hands automatically wove around his neck, and smiled, descending on her gently. He pressed his lips against hers, only meaning to leave a chaste kiss, but her reaction was surprisingly immediate. Her hands slipped up into his hair and she pulled him closer, raking her fingernails against his scalp. He smiled, musing that he wasn't the only one that had been missing their time together, but pulled away before anything became more heated. He pressed his forehead against hers and sighed, relishing in the feeling of her against him. "Sorry, I know I said I would control myself better, but I figure if this lunch is going to consist of you telling me that you only want to be friends then I might as well get in my last kiss while I can."

He didn't know what he expected her reaction to be, but had braced himself for the worst, only to be caught by surprise by the way she rolled her eyes, good naturedly. Wiping the edge of her lips with her thumb she motioned toward the direction of the diner and pulled him by the hand, "Come on, it's just up this way," and laced her fingers through his.

He felt his smile return as he followed her lead, hoping that this wasn't some ruse to let him down easy. When they entered the quaint diner, slipping into opposite sides of a booth, Amy greeted the waitress with a smile. "Hey Wanda," she said, "This is Ricky," she motioned toward him and he waved accordingly as Wanda smiled back, "He's Mari's foster brother, the one she was telling you about."

Wanda nodded, "Ah, yes, the boy from LA, good to meet you. I'm Wanda."

Ricky nodded back and held out his hand, which she took and shook heartily, "Nice to meet you." He didn't miss the way Wanda looked over at Amy with an appraising glance, or the blush that rose in Amy's face, making it clear that there had been a few conversations with him as the topic, but chose to ignore it. Wanda, in turn, fell back into her role as waitress.

"Well, what can I get you two? We're you ready to order?"

"Um, I'll have my usual please." Amy said, the blush not completely gone from her cheeks as she fingered her menu.

The dark skinned waitress smiled back pleasantly and whipped out her notepad. "I should have guessed, so that's one chocolate milkshake and a cheeseburger special with avocado, no onions or pickles." She turned her attention toward Ricky and cocked her head to the side, "And for you honey?"

Ricky smiled and shrugged, leaning back into the comfortable cushion of the booth seat, "Sounds good, I'll have the same thing," and Wanda smiled back at him, "Alright, so that's two cheeseburger specials and two chocolate milkshakes. I'll get that out to you in a jiffy."

"Thanks Wanda," Amy said as she took off toward the kitchen, slipping her pencil into her hair. Once she had made her way away from the two Amy turned back to Ricky and bit her lip, seemingly unsure of where to begin.

Ricky smiled at her encouragingly and allowed his hand to slip into hers once again. "So, Ashley said you were baking last night," he supplied, trying to make Amy as comfortable as could be. "I didn't know you knew how to bake."

Amy nodded, not pulling away from him, but instead, letting her hand trace his back as they fell into a fluid conversation. "Yeah, I actually bake a lot better than I cook. It's easier to follow dessert recipes than it is to follow dinner ones."

"So what did you make?" He asked, lacing his fingers through hers so that he could focus on her words and not on how good it felt to have her hand in his.

Amy cast her eyes to the ceiling as she thought and leaned back in her seat, "Some banana bread for Margaret and a bunch of cupcakes: chocolate, vanilla, and pistachio. Then I made some cookies, snickerdoodle mostly, but I made chocolate chip for the staff too since they're Shakur's favorites."

"Wow," Ricky breathed out, "Seems like a lot."

"Well," Amy responded bashfully, "It helped me clear my thoughts. Baking always does that."

Ricky nodded, "Yeah, Ashley mentioned something like that."

Amy rolled her eyes and slipped her hand out of his, bringing it up to loosen her hair tie and reset her ponytail. He watched her as she pulled her hair back, smoothing the ridges as she went and then shaking a few hairs loose so that they framed her face perfectly. When she met his gaze again she furrowed her brow and smiled curiously, "What?"

He sighed, "You have no idea the affect you have do you?"

She blushed red again just as Wanda came back placing both milkshake glasses down on the table, "Here you are. I'll be back with your meals in a bit."

"Thanks Wanda," Ricky said while Amy simply nodded her gratitude. Once she had left once again Amy took a sip of her milkshake as Ricky pushed his aside to fix his gaze on her. "So," he sighed, "best not beat around the bush. Did you make a decision?"

Amy gulped and sighed herself, pushing her milkshake away and she nodded, crossing her arms across her chest. "Yes, and I'm not sure how you're going to feel about it."

Ricky felt his chest constrict, but forced himself to stay calm, "Well, let's have it."

Amy took a moment to regard him, her eyes searching his face for something, though he couldn't begin to guess what. "Alright," she sighed, casting her gaze down at the table as she spoke, "well, first, I want to apologize for how I've acted. To be honest, that night at Johnny's apartment brought on a lot of emotions that I don't think I was ready for, but I shouldn't have ignored you or avoided you, at least…not for two weeks."

Ricky shook his head, "I understand Amy, you don't have to apologize-"

"No, but I do," she insisted leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table. "It was unfair to throw so many mixed signals at you and I should have been more upfront."

He leaned in and took her hand in his again, "You were upfront," he said, squeezing her hand in his. "You told me from the beginning you didn't want to date and I should have respected that. I shouldn't have kissed you that night, not like that."

She furrowed her brow and smiled curiously at him, "Then how should you have kissed me?"

Ricky chuckled and shook his head, "I don't know, with permission I guess?"

Amy rolled her eyes, "Like you did on the sidewalk before we got here?"

Ricky laughed out loud this time and shrugged, "What can I say, last wish of a desperate man."

Amy shook her head and rested her other hand on top of theirs, bringing the conversation back down to business. "Look, I like you and I'll admit that that scares me, a lot," she pursed her lips together before continuing. "I was telling the truth when I said that I didn't want to be in a relationship or start one because I just don't have a very good impression of people our age dating or people dating at all. I mean, my parents were together for years and they still fell apart, so I'm not a big believer in those kind of whirlwind romances."

Ricky could tell that she was having a difficult time trying to explain and as much as it pained him to connect the dots, he seemed to understand. "It's okay Ames, if this isn't what you want, then I can't force it. I can't force you to do anything and I don't want to force you to be with me or you to force you to be with me."

Amy smiled and shook her head, "I somehow knew you were going to say that." She scooted herself out of the booth and Ricky followed her with his eyes, unsure of what she was doing until she slipped into his side of the booth. "Which is why I decided that I do want to keep seeing you and spending time with you and getting to know you. Because, as much as my gut is screaming that you are a huge risk, I somehow trust that you're someone worth risking for."

It took a while for Ricky to comprehend what she was saying, her knee pressing against his thigh did well to distract him as it worked in tandem with her signature scent of vanilla and lilies. But when it finally did he felt the magnetic pull of her lips to his. He breathed her in and smiled against her, feeling her own smile meet his and laughed as the pulled apart. He brushed back her bangs and tucked them behind her ear as he leaned back against the wall and found her hand with his. "Seriously? What changed your mind?"

Amy sighed and faced forward, crossing one leg over the other as his arm snaked around her waist. "I guess, a lot of things. I talked to Mari and Megan and my mom about everything and every excuse I came up with, seemed to fix itself and I thought, yesterday, while I was frosting cupcakes and talking to my mom about my dad and how she doesn't regret what happened with them, even though he broke her heart, that I can't keep thinking the bottom is going to fall out. That's no way to live."

Ricky nodded, "I agree. But, you've got to know that I would never hurt you."

Amy smiled and turned up to him, squeezing his hand in his as she leaned forward her pressed her lips to his once more, "See," she sighed as she pulled away, "under normal circumstances I wouldn't believe any boy, but you…I don't know. Maybe you're just a really good liar."

Ricky snorted and shook his head, "No, I don't think so."

"Or maybe," Amy sighed, "Maybe you're just telling the truth."

Ricky smiled and leaned toward her again, enjoying the feel of her lips under his as his other hand came up to brush her cheek. A small cough brought them both back to reality and they pulled apart to see Wanda standing over them with their food in her hands. "Two cheeseburger specials for the happy couple."

Amy blushed and leaned into Ricky, embarrassed at being caught, but let out a muffled, "Thank you Wanda."

Ricky chuckled, "Thank you Wanda," as the waitress nodded and set the food down. Once she had left Ricky placed a kiss on Amy's temple and hugged her close, resting his cheek against the top of her head. "What about the end of summer. I know that you were worried about that, I thought for sure that would be a deal breaker for you."

Amy sighed deeply and Ricky wondered if he had just shot himself in the foot for even mentioning that, but Amy shook her head and stared up at him, the concern still there, but her hand gripping his in response. "We'll deal with that when it comes, but for right now, I'm starving."

She sat up and Ricky nodded, letting go of her hand to face his own meal and nodded, "Me too, let's eat."

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><p><strong>AN: Please review! Love you all, I hope this was satisfying.<strong>


	12. Make Every Day Like Today

**AN: Greetings. If you're still out there...haha I promise to explain. Just read first.**

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><p>Amy adjusted the strap on her shoulder as she exited the cab. She straightened her scarf and brushed a hand through her hair, turning to the thick-accented cab driver with a smile, "What do I owe you?"<p>

He tipped his hat to her and leaned toward the window, "Eight fifty sweetheart."

Amy clicked open her wallet and pulled out a ten, handing it to the cabbie with another smile and waved him off, "Keep the change."

He pursed his lips in gratitude and tipped his hat once more, "Thanks doll," and then pulled away from the curb, Amy, taking a minute to sigh deeply, more at peace than she had felt in weeks. Her thoughts faded to only a few hours ago when she had last been with Ricky and she couldn't help the smile as the memory grew clearer and clearer.

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><p>"<em>What are you doing tonight?" He asked as they walked together back towards the Foundation; his arm curled around her shoulders as her own stayed secure around his waist.<em>

_ "Mm, nothing, why?" She was leaning into him as they turned the corner and he smirked, mentally marking the spot where he had kissed her for what he thought would be the last time._

_ "I just thought maybe you'd like to have dinner with me tonight. Maybe make up for the last two weeks and get a jump start on the rest of the summer?" He glanced down at her as he slipped a hand into his pocket, "What do you say? I'll cook?"_

_ She smiled up at him and rested a hand on his chest, stopping them in place. "You cook?"_

_ He nodded, "Margaret and Shakur taught me when I was younger and I sometimes cook at home for my dad and my brother." He pulled her by the hips closer to him and tilted his head to the side, "Come on, what do you say? I'll cook, you bake, we could make an evening out of it."_

_ She laughed and pressed her lips to his before pulling away with a sigh, "Aren't you sick of me yet?"_

_ He snorted and rolled his eyes as he slipped himself back around her shoulders and pressed on, "Yeah, like that's a possibility. So what do you say? Dinner? My place? Tonight?"_

_ She pretended to mull over the question, but he could tell by the glow on her face that she wouldn't say no, not now when they were neck deep in the new honeymoon stage of everything. "Alright," she sighed, "If you insist."_

_ He laughed and rolled his eyes, "I know it would be such an imposition on you, but I promise you'll have a good time."_

_ She chuckled and leaned her head against his shoulder, "So what time? And where should I meet you?"_

_ "Well, what time do you get off work?"_

_ "Three," she answered as the Foundation came into view, another two blocks and they would be right at the entrance._

_ "Mm," he responded, "I don't get off until five, but let's say, you go home, change and do whatever you need to and then meet me at the office right at five? We'll take my car, head to the grocery store and then home?"_

_ Amy turned to look up at him and furrowed her brow, "You sure you don't want me to just go get the groceries and meet you at home? It'll give you time to get ready and what not."_

_ He shook his head and kissed her forehead, "It's fine. I want to make sure we get stuff that we both like, so it'd be better if we shop together."_

_ She narrowed her gaze at him and tried to fix him with a steely glare, "Are you saying you don't trust my taste in groceries? Like I'll come back with something gross and disgusting?"_

_ He laughed and kissed her in response, letting his hand graze the bottom of her ponytail before pulling away, "Not at all, I trust you, I do. But I also want to try and utilize all the time that we have and if that means spending a good half hour or so with you at the grocery store, then so be it."_

_ She rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Alright," she conceded, "good answer."_

_ He smiled and rested his forehead against hers, breathing her in like a load of fresh laundry and catching the darkening of her eyes, "So I'll meet you tonight?"_

_ She reached up, looking as though she was going to kiss him, but only ghosted over his lips as she replied, "See you at five," and then pulled away, leaving him without so much as a look back._

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><p>She had to admit the incredible sense of joy that enveloped her once she had been able to get out what she wanted to say to Ricky. It was overwhelming and addicting and made her absolutely sure that this was the right decision to make. Yes, she had intended, prior to her conversation with her mother, to tell Ricky that they needed to keep their distance, maybe that it would be best that they didn't see each other at all for a while. But she couldn't bear for that to be the answer and had kept asking for others' opinions. It was after she had talked to her mother, heard her story and her thoughts on her father that she realized, not only did Ricky deserve a chance, but that she wanted to give him one. That was the reason she was so conflicted and had not known what to do about everything, because she didn't want to just cut him off, she wanted to be with him, even if it meant it would only be for a summer. That was when she knew that there was no point fighting it and that if there was a risk worth taking it would be with Ricky Underwood.<p>

Turning to look back toward the tall Boykewich Butchers Headquarters she bit her lip and shook her head, the strange vision of a building built of meat crossing her mind for only a second before she shook it away. She stifled a laugh and sighed, slipping her wallet back into her purse. Heading toward the glass revolving door she slipped her hands into her coat pockets and pushed through, walking to the front desk.

The guard directed her to take the elevator to the twenty-third floor and she thanked him, slightly in awe of the fact that there were twenty three floors to begin with. She knew BB was a big company, but not _that_ big. She squished herself into the corner of the elevator as other people filed in behind her and leaned against the wall. The elevator music was light and soothing, almost making her sleepy, but every ding of the doors opening kept her from dozing off. Soon enough she found herself to be the only one left to head up to the twenty third floor and took a huge breath, feeling less claustrophobic.

Finally the elevator doors dinged on 23 and she straightened her outfit once more. Stepping out of the elevator she slowly took in her surroundings, the sound of ringing telephones and office chatter filling the air. The elevator hallway led right to a reception desk and Amy cautiously approached, hoping that she had heard the guard right and didn't somehow end up on the wrong floor. The lady sitting at the desk was busy typing away and Amy bit her lip as she took notice to her. "Can I help you?" she asked, tilting her head with a standard corporate smile. Amy smiled politely back and nodded.

"Uh, yes," she sighed, "I'm here to see Ricky Underwood, do you know where I could find him?"

The receptionist nodded and stood from her seat, "Oh you must be Amy, Ricky mentioned you would stop by." Amy tried not to look confused as the woman came around her desk and slipped a hand onto her shoulder, leading her further down the hall passed a mass of cubicles. "He and Mr. Giuseppe are still in their meeting, but he said if you showed up to just let you into his office."

Amy's brow furrowed in confusion, "Office? I-"

"Oh Karlee!" The receptionist had turned her attention away from Amy and looked to be beckoning someone over, "could you please show Miss Juergens to Mr. Giuseppe's office, she's to wait there for Mr. Underwood."

Amy turned just in time to see the leggy brunette that Ricky had been getting out of the cab with a few days prior to, runway walking toward her. She felt something inside her shift uncomfortably. "Why, of course, Linda. I'd be happy to."

Amy forced a smile as Karlee motioned her forward, suddenly feeling incredibly out of place beside Karlee's tight black pencil skirt and blue top that did wonders for her figure. Amy felt clunky and misshapen next to her and all of the confidence she had felt earlier was slowly slipping away from her. "Thank you," she said, both to Linda and to Karlee before following after the young intern. She forced herself to remain calm and instead focused on the incredible view the 23rd floor had over the city.

"So, you must be a friend of Ricky's," Karlee said, her voice dripping with a tone that Amy could not exactly place, but couldn't exactly enjoy either.

"Something like that," She said, choosing instead to not comment. She didn't actually know what to term she and Ricky, but thought it best to not engage. The girl clearly had her ideas for Ricky, but Amy didn't want to get sucked into that kind of downward spiral. After all, she couldn't control it if other girls were attracted to him, as long as he said true to his word to her they would be fine.

"You were the one we ran into the other night on our way to dinner right? What was your name again? Annie? Allie?"

"Amy," she sighed, picking up her pace so that she would stay in step with the brunette. Being led like a child did not sit well with her. "My name is Amy," she said again, "and yes, that was me. And you're…." She honestly couldn't remember the girl's name.

"Karlee," she supplied, "With two e's at the end. Nice to meet you officially, though to be honest, I didn't know you existed until Ricky and I bumped into you." Amy didn't like the way she said,_ "Ricky and I"_. She didn't like the implication of it, like they were one unit.

"Well," Amy sighed, "He didn't mention you either so I guess we're even." Amy bit her tongue as she thought of Ashley and how she would respond to such a girl. Clearly, sarcasm with indifference was the best form of defense. _'Never let 'em see you sweat_" and all.

Karlee practically sneered at her, but said nothing as they came up to a big office. "Mr. Underwood will be with you in a moment," she hissed, opening the door to let Amy in.

Amy smiled brightly and nodded, "Thanks again," then closed the door on her, letting out a sigh as she turned to the office. There was a roaring in her chest that was difficult to ignore; a nagging sensation that seemed to bubble within her until she could nearly taste the revulsion she had for the leggy intern on her tongue. "Karlee," Amy breathed. "What kind of a name is Karlee? And with two e's?" She rolled her eyes and strode forward into the office, taking in her surroundings so as to hopefully distract from the encounter.

The office was a large one, set up with an imposing, mahogany desk, in front of a grand window. There were two loveseats facing each other, separated by a coffee table and a mini bar up against the wall. It was furnished in dark palate, deep brown woods and garnet reds, and the walls were adorned with old black and white photos of the first Boykewich Butchers, along with, what Amy guessed to be, family photos. Right above the mini bar beside a large picture of the first Boykewich Butchers' store front was a picture of a man in his early forties, flanked by two thirteen year old boys. The three seemed incredibly happy as they laughed at some unknown joke to each other and Amy recognized the thick coif of Ricky. She couldn't keep from smiling as she mused over how adorable he was five years younger.

A gruff cough prompted her to turn in surprise, an elderly gentleman in a suit watching her from the doorway. "Oh," she said in a breathy tone, her shoulders beginning to tense, "Sorry…I was told to wait-"

"My nephew will only be a moment longer," the man said in a deep voice, closing the door behind him and striding toward the desk. He set his briefcase down and unbuttoned his jacket; leaving Amy to do nothing more than watch as he situated himself. "So, you must be the girl he's been daydreaming about all day."

Amy bit her lip and felt her face grow warm, "I should hope so." The old man let out a laugh and nodded, taking off his jacket and draping it over the back of the chair. "I'm Amy," she said, stepping forward and reaching her hand over his desk. The man grasped it in a firm handshake and nodded with a tight nod.

"Benjamin Giuseppe, pleasure to make your acquaintance." He crossed from behind his desk and motioned towards the couch closest to the pictures, "So, tell me a little bit about yourself Amy. Ricky's told me you work for Margaret and Shakur?"

Amy nodded, following the man as he took a seat and followed suit. "Yes, I'm a day camp counselor for the Foundation, have been for the passed few years."

"And you're in incoming senior?"

"Junior," Amy corrected.

"Ah," Giuseppe nodded, "Have you thought about college options?"

Amy nodded, relaxing into the conversation and understanding why Ricky loved his uncle so much. He may be an impressive man, most likely intimidating in a business setting, but he was polite and engaging, much like Ricky was, "A bit. I've made a list of schools that I want to look into this coming year, but they're pretty spread out. I suppose wherever the scholarships come from is where I'll end up going."

"That's smart. And what do you want to do?"

Amy smiled and brushed her hair back from her face, "I want to teach. I haven't decided what grade yet, but I know that I want to teach."

"So you like kids then?"

Amy nodded and leaned back into leather cushion of her seat, "Yeah, the love for them and for teaching kind of snuck up on me. I used to dream of playing with the New York Philharmonic, but musicians tend to be too much sometimes."

Mr. Giuseppe laughed and nodded, leaning forward on his knees, "I know what you mean. Back when I around your age I used to play the saxophone. Had this idea of being in a jazz band for the rest of my life."

Amy smiled, "So what changed?"

"Well," Mr. Giuseppe sighed, "I was in this band playing at some smoky jazz club out in Jersey, when our piano player pitched a fit over some chord progression he claimed I was getting wrong. We ended up getting into this huge argument and I ended up punching his lights out. We didn't make our show." He laughed and shook his head. "At the time we were trying to make it big and I think that's precisely what killed the love for it. It stopped being fun and become more about being famous. I didn't want that life so I ended up returning home and getting a job in my best friend's father's butcher shop. I've never looked back. Still play the sax though, from time to time."

Amy chuckled and nodded, resting her bag in her lap, "So were you wrong?" The old man furrowed his brow and Amy tilted her head to the side, "About the chord progression. Were you wrong?"

Mr. Giuseppe eyed her with an amused glint and chuckled, "Girl, best learn now that _I_ am never wrong."

The two shared a bout of laughter as the door swung open, revealing Ricky, taking in the sight of the two of them. "Well, hello. And what are we talking about?"

"Music," Amy supplied, glancing at Mr. Giuseppe with a smile, "Your uncle just told me he used to play the saxophone. I can see where your love for jazz obviously came from."

Ricky smiled and nodded, stepping forward toward the pair. Amy stood to meet him and allowed her eyes to flutter shut as he placed a kiss on her cheek. "Well," Ricky said, slipping an arm around her waist and turning to his uncle, "Thank you for being...strangely hospitable Uncle Ben, I'll see you in the morning?"

Giuseppe grunted and stood, his expression turning back to business as he nodded at the two, "Bright and early. Don't be late." He turned to Amy and sent her a tight-lipped smile, "Good to meet you Amy, hope to see you again soon."

Amy nodded back and waved, "Nice to meet you, Sir."

And with that Ricky guided her out of the office, letting his hand fall to catch hers. He intertwined his fingers with hers and fell in step as they walked through the office. "You're Uncle is nice," she said as they passed through the cubicles and passed Karlee who was fixing Amy with a calculating glare. She smiled politely back and waved, Ricky catching the action and smirking, pressing a kiss to Amy's temple as he too nodded at Karlee. Amy bit her lip and pulled Ricky into the elevator, sequestering them into a corner as the doors closed in front of them. She pressed the ground floor button before leaning up for a kiss. He laughed against her lips as his arm slipped to her waist.

"Yes, my uncle is a nice man, but only to those he likes. Consider yourself lucky."

Amy kissed him once more, her own hands sliding up to rest on the lapels of his jacket. The elevator let out a soft ping, signaling the arrival of other people entering and Amy quickly pulled away, squeezing herself closer to Ricky as the elevator filled up.

"Do you?" she asked, her voice just above a whisper.

"Hmm?" The scent of her shampoo was distracting him as he rested his forehead against the top of her head.

"Do you consider yourself lucky?"

He chuckled into her hair, ghosting another kiss on the edge of her forehead as he shook his head, "Dumb question." Amy laughed and leaned back. Soon enough they found themselves on the ground floor, Ricky waving goodbye to the guard at the reception area and then leading her across the street to a local market. They teased each other all through the pasta aisle, debating on the type of pasta and the type of sauce to get. Eventually they settled on spaghetti while Ricky promised to make Margaret's special meat sauce recipe. Amy in return would take care of the dessert. They parted ways in the produce section, Amy charging Ricky with finding acceptable lemons while she backtracked to the baking aisle. She returned just as he was sorting through the tomatoes with an assortment of baking necessities that Ricky hadn't been sure of if he had at home.

"Did you get them?" she asked as she slid a hand around his back and leaned into his shoulder. He nodded toward the bag holding three lemons in the shopping cart and she reached out for them, checking their firmness and then their smell.

"So, how'd I do?"

She tossed him a mocking glance, watching as his smirk only grew instead of faded and shrugged, "Alright, I guess," she turned to move away, but he was quick to weave an arm around her waist and pull her back, placing a chaste kiss on the point where her shoulder and neck met. She giggled and pushed him away, "Are you ready to go?"

He nodded and slipped his hand into hers, "Come on." He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and quickly paid for the groceries before Amy could protest, shaking his head at her. "It's fine Amy, you paid for lunch, let me worry about dinner alright?" She pouted for only a moment before he kissed it away, chuckling against her lips, then turning to hail a cab.

Once they had slipped inside, he intertwined their fingers once again and told the driver his address. Once the cab had pulled into traffic Ricky turned back to Amy and they shared a smile. "I'm really glad you're here,' he whispered, brushing her hair back from her face. She leaned into his hand and nodded.

"I'm really glad I'm here too."

He leaned forward and placed one last kiss before shifting back into his seat and pulling her in with him. Her head found it's place in the crook of his neck and she sighed into his embrace. They stayed in relative silence as the cab moved slowly through the city traffic. There was a gentle lull of the radio in the background, working in tandem with the twinkling lights outside that were slowly starting to blink into existence. But neither took much notice, instead reveling in the warmth of each other.

Amy traced circles on the "v" below his neck where he had unbuttoned the top two buttons of his white shirt. She fingered the material and snuggled closer to him, her mind replaying everything that had happened that day. It was all so much, almost too much. "Promise me," she sighed, turning ever so slightly to look up at him, "Promise me that every day we have together will be like this. That you won't let me worry about what will happen once your internship ends and you have to go back home. That you won't let me push you away."

His forehead creased in concern, obviously uncertain of where this was all coming from, but Amy gripped his shirt and fixed him with a steady gaze. "Please? Promise me you won't let me ruin this."

Ricky took a minute to respond, his eyes tracing over the entirety of her face before reaching a hand up again to cup her cheek, "Okay," he sighed, dragging his thumb across her cheek. "I promise.

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><p><strong>AN: So, first off. Again, apologies. I had planned to finish this story in it's entirety back in May, but packing up my whole life and moving over 7000 miles away from home proved to be more time consuming and rattling than I had thought. Also, the news that I would have internet while I'm here put me at ease. At least I would still have access to my stories and I wouldn't have to force out this story to the point of poor form. But anyway, the facts are that I moved here, to the Philippines, back in May for a job that I then lost upon arrival due to changes in the education system. They added 7th &amp; 8th grade to the school system so all of those extra jobs being made were to be given to teachers who were waiting for jobs before going to volunteer teachers like me. <strong>

**So...I lost my job, was separated by an ocean from my family, and sitting in limbo unsure of what I was going to do. And then, Praise the Lord, another job came through. An English speaking teacher looking for work gets noticed here in Samar so, the local University asked if I would teach some English subject classes. Boom. Job. The only thing was that I got about three days notice and have been scrambling to put together my lesson plans while, at the same time, trying to produce an atmosphere of professionalism seeing as many of my students are older than me and/or married, and/or with kids. That and I just graduated college. Now I'm supposed to teach it? Strange things are afoot at the circle k my friends. Strange, wonderful, and scary things.  
><strong>

**Thankfully, I have been able to adjust and balance myself to the point where I could write and this is the first of many chapters that I have actually written already. So keep a look out for more frequent updates. I hope you're all still out there. If not well...if ever you decide to come back. I'll be here. Updating.  
><strong>

**-scribbling wordsmith  
><strong>


	13. 2 Months Forward, 3 Steps Back

**AN: Okay. I must be honest. With all the crap going on between Ramy this season I was really really REALLY angry at SL and could barely bring myself to even look at this story. Not because I hate the Ricky and Amy in my universe, but because they would just remind me of how Ricky and Amy _should _be and how they just weren't. -_-x but, with the season over, maybe I'll finally be able to forget all the ridiculousness of this season and focus on this. Sorry for the delay and before you jump me for what has apparently happened in this chapter, don't stress, OTH style time jumps are necessary to keep the story progressing. And there will be NUMEROUS flashbacks in the next chapter.**

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><p>Biting her lip, Amy let her eyes sweep over the expanse of her room, the mess seemingly endless as boxes sat piled upon one another in every corner. She hadn't realized how much stuff she actually had until she had to pack it all up, but the fact that she had been dragging her feet throughout the whole process surely contributed to her disorganization. An act of rebellion in response to the move, though she knew it would only cause trouble when she got to her dad's house. Her eyes flitted over to her phone that sat precariously atop her desk and she itched to reach for it and dial his number. She hadn't so much as texted him since he returned home nearly three weeks before. But that had been their deal: what happens in New York, stays in New York.<p>

Her mind blew back to their last two months together filled with picnics in the park, dinners with Nora, lunches with Margaret and Shakur, movie dates, and Yankee games with Johnny. It had all been blissful and Ricky had been true to his word, he kept her out of her head and in the moment, never letting her second guess anything, just being exactly what she needed. It was the best summer of her life. But like all summers it had to end and come August 15th he was on a plane back home and they returned to their normal lives, promising to give each other some space to do so.

But neither could have known that Amy's life wasn't going to return to normal. A few days after Ricky left Amy's mother sat both her and her sister down and explained that she had secured a lot of international clients for the next year and that she would be doing extensive traveling across Europe and Asia for the sake of buyers and sellers. She wanted the girls to go with her, to spend the year traveling and seeing the world.

"But…what about school?" Amy had asked, the shock evident as she tried to comprehend her mother actually offering such a trip. Her mother had pulled out home schooling documents and explained that the two of them would do an online home schooling program for the year and that as long as they were diligent in doing their school work they wouldn't get derailed when they returned to the States. Ashley had, right away, jumped at the idea. She had always been restless in school and actually expressed what could be described as "excitement" at the offer, but Amy hesitated.

It wasn't that she didn't want to see the world at some point, but the idea of spending a year in foreign countries, constantly switching location, never having an actual home sat uncomfortably in her stomach. Hadn't the last two years been enough of a transition? She could understand why her mother was so excited. The divorce had given her leeway into a new exciting single life where she could do such traveling. But Amy had never been an international jet-setter type, so, innocently she asked, "Are there any other options?"

It so happened that there was. Anne had known her oldest would have been more reserved to the idea. She knew that while vacationing in exciting locations would have been fine with Amy, living in another country and learning new languages without any sort of stability would seem more risky than anything, and Amy liked to have her control. So, reaching a hand out to the girl, Anne smiled and nodded, "If you want, you can spend the year in California with your father. The school that Grace goes to is a Magnet school and your father says that with your grades and transcripts they are sure to accept you if that's your choice."

_'California,'_ Amy had thought, _'That's where Ricky is…'_ she had said yes before she could even think about it and before she knew it her dad had been called, the arrangements had been made, and Amy was being given boxes to pack up her room. She would be moving in with her dad and his new family within the next week.

It had initially concerned her how quickly she had made the decision to go to California, as well as the fact that her first thought had been Ricky. But what troubled her even more was that she didn't necessarily know where Ricky was in California or if they would even be close to one another before deciding. Sure, they had talked extensively about his family and his friends, but he had never actually mentioned his hometown or the name of his school. The only reason she knew that he was from California was because she had heard Giuseppe, Ricky's uncle, mention how BB Headquarters was located there, but she never asked for confirmation and Ricky never offered it.

She knew she could probably ask Shakur or Margaret or even Mariah, but somehow she thought it best to just not ask. What if her dad's town was nowhere near where Ricky lived? Then it would be just as hard knowing that they were even closer and still so far apart. No. She would stick to their plan, she would see him next summer when he came back to New York and they would resume whatever it was they were then and only then. But now, she wouldn't even mention it, she would do what she would have done had she never met Ricky, which was pack, go, and make the best of it. She had, after all, agreed to live with the father that she hadn't entirely forgiven yet, she would have enough to worry about as it is without a boy hanging in the balance.

A grunt from behind pulled her attention back to her room and she smiled at the sight of Megan and Mariah walking in with more empty boxes. "Jeez Ames, are you bringing all this stuff with you to Cali?"

Amy laughed and grabbed a box from Megan, "No, most of it will go into storage, but my clothes, my books, and my music are all coming with me. My dad offered to buy me new clothes when I got there, but I told him I'd be fine. Kathleen and Grace always let me borrow clothes anyway."

"So what are they like?' Mariah asked as she started to pull Amy's books from off the shelf and neatly stack them in another empty box, "You never really talk about them."

Amy sighed as she carefully refolded her clothes, "Yeah, I guess…I don't know. Kathleen is still a touchy subject with my mom. I mean, they get along alright, but you can tell it still gets awkward from time to time so I try not to mention it. But she's very nice and very pretty. Grace is…a little perky and a little enthusiastic, but she's sweet and easy to talk to while Tom is hilarious. He's got kind of a warped sense of logic that shouldn't make sense, but it does." she laughed at the memory of her step brother and shook her head, "It shouldn't be that bad…it's just my dad that I'm worried about."

Her friends nodded, Mariah turning towards Amy to sit on the bed while Megan leaned her back against the door, "Have you talked to him?" Megan asked.

Amy nodded, "Yeah, a few times, but never for long. He's really excited, kept trying to tell me about the room he's got set up for me, but…it's still weird. We haven't spent that much time together since he left."

"Even when you and Ashley would visit?" Mariah asked, crossing one leg over the other.

Amy shrugged, "Yeah, I mean, he tries really hard and we indulge him, but…he's created this whole new life over there with them. They've got their own thing going on. It was easier to just be polite than to try and participate you know?"

"Yeah," her friend nodded, "I could see that," she paused, her gaze dropping down to her lap as she seemed to choose her words carefully, "Have you told Ricky you're going out there?" Amy froze in mid fold, her teeth catching her bottom lip between them for a split second before resuming her work.

"No. Why would I do that?"

Mariah looked at her like she had grown a second head, "Um…because the two of you spent the entire vacation in summer lovin' mode and now you're about to head to the state where he is. Don't you want to see him?"

Amy pursed her lips and turned away from her friends, "We agreed to wait until next summer, when he comes back here for school, before we revisit anything."

"But that was before either of you knew you would be moving to California!" Megan interjected, "You two were so happy! Why not just…continue?"

"Because," Amy sighed, "It would be different."

Megan and Mariah shared a look, "How so?"

Amy sighed and turned to her friends, crossing her hands over her chest as she leaned against her closet door. "I mean…it would have to be different. Being here with him it was like…something out of someone else's life. I mean, he was practically on vacation from the rest of his life, but there? There, we'd be neck deep in it. And the summer was great, it was a beautiful summer with a beautiful boy, but we knew going into it that that was all it was going to be: a summer fling. We're not supposed to get into anything deeper."

"But that was because you both thought all you had was the summer!" Megan sighed, "Now you could have the whole year and then come back to New York together!"

"That's assuming we would even work out!" Amy spat back.

"And there are no guarantees if you wait until next summer to see what happens either," Mariah supplied, stepping toward her friend. "Look Amy, I get it. The summer was great and you want it to stay great, which it will. No one can take this summer away from you and Ricky. But, it can't just be a coincidence that you're going to California this year. Out of all the places that your dad could have been living, it had to be the same state as Ricky; driving distance. I'm not saying that you and Ricky have to…pick up where you left off, but maybe this is a chance for the two of you to actually have a go at a real…something. You were both so happy. Megan and I just want you to be happy again. You've been sulking ever since he left and so has he."

Amy's eyes snapped up to meet Mariah's. It had been the first time she had ever mentioned anything about Ricky and Amy couldn't believe she had overlooked the fact that Mariah and Ricky would still be in contact. She licked her lips and shifted her weight, "Has he….has he mentioned me?"

Mariah rolled her eyes and chuckled, "Babe, you're all we talk about."

Amy bit back a smile and ran a hand through her hair, her mind racing with the new information as she glanced at her phone. "When I get there…I'll call him when I'm actually there, because I don't want to have _that_ meeting hanging over my head as well as the rest of the transition but…" she looked at her friends, "I'll call him."

Megan let out a girlish squeal as Mariah smiled, "Good, because I don't know if I can take anymore of, 'So, Mari, how is she today? Did she mention me? Does she miss me?' Oh my god, I've wanted to kill him for weeks." The three girls laughed as Mariah turned back to Amy's bookshelf and Megan stood to help. In turn Amy glanced at her phone once more and felt the familiar flutter in her stomach that came whenever Ricky would look at her. She wasn't sure what would happen, but if Ricky was worth risking once before, he was worth at least a phone call now.

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><p>He sat fixated on his phone, quietly sitting on the counter, unmoving and frustrating him to no end. He wanted to call her. He wanted to hear her voice, he wanted to have something more tangible than the pictures in his phone and the ones in his camera. But he had promised to give her space and respecting that meant waiting for her to call him. He sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair, running it down his face as he glared at his phone, "Son? Should I be concerned?"<p>

The voice made him jump and Ricky spun around, eyes wide as he came face to face with his father. "Jeez, dad!" he cried out, clutching his chest, "Way to give your son a heart attack."

"I'm sorry," Leo Boykewich chuckled, looking sheepish as he circled his son with his hands in his pockets. "You've been staring at your phone for the past half hour, I was wondering if you needed a new one, maybe the one you got is broken?"

Ricky let out a breathy laugh and shook his head, "No, no, nothing like that. Just," he paused, "waiting for a call."

Leo nodded and leaned against the counter, "From Adrian?"

Ricky furrowed his brow, "No, dad. Trust me, Adrian and I are over."

Leo chuckled, "I did hear that, but I wasn't sure. You've said that before."

"Yeah, well," Ricky sighed, "I mean it now and even if I didn't I wouldn't stand by my phone waiting for Adrian to call. Our relationship was never like that."

"I remember," Leo said, which made Ricky cringe slightly, knowing that his father had never been happy with his relationship with Adrian. "So, I'm guessing you're waiting on the girl from New York, the one your brother mentioned."

Ricky groaned and shook his head, "Remind me never to tell Ben anything."

Leo laughed once more and situated himself on the stool beside Ricky, "Even if I did tell you that you wouldn't listen. You and your brother have been telling each other everything since the day that you met, which is something that I love. I've always loved how close you and Ben are, so why would you want to go and change that?"

Ricky sighed and shook his head, "I wouldn't, I just…some things are better kept private you know?"

Leo nodded, "Ah, so what you're saying is that you didn't want me to know?"

"No!" Ricky objected, shaking his head as he faced his father, "I was going to tell you about New York it's just…" he sighed once more and looked at his phone, "I need to figure it all out before I can talk about it."

Leo furrowed his brow, "Did something happen, something that I _should_ be aware of, between you and this girl?"

Ricky pursed his lips, "Not anything bad just…it was a good summer. Almost like a dream and I wasn't ready to wake up…you know?"

Leo's gaze softened on his son and he reached over to place a hand on his shoulder, "Yeah, I do know. So," he paused, "why don't you just call her?"

Ricky sighed and leaned back into his seat, "I can't."

Leo furrowed his brow, "Did you lose her number?"

Ricky chuckled and shook his head, "No, I've got it. I just…Amy has to be the one to call me. She's really cautious when it comes to these sort of things, so I've got to give her space to breathe."

He looked up at his father to his father's puzzled expression and bashfully bowed his head, "Yeah, I know. Not my usual style, but…this girl-"

Leo shook his head and patted his son on the shoulder, "Say no more son, I get it. She's a game changer. Can't say I'm not surprised, but…it's nice to see you caring about a girl enough to respect her wishes, but…" he sighed and leaned onto the counter, "be careful. I don't want to see you sulking about, it's not going to help anyone."

Ricky nodded, "Thanks dad, I know. I just…I want her to call."

Leo chuckled and clapped Ricky on the back of his shoulder as he got up from the stool. "I know son, but staring at the phone is not going to do it. Be productive, school starts in a few days, don't want to have a slow start right off the bat right?"

Ricky only nodded as his father left him to his thoughts, his eyes still fixated on his phone as he ran a hand down his face. "Jeez, Amy Juergens. What have you done to me?"

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><p><strong>AN: Update coming: Sunday September 2, 2012 pending reviews. Please do so.<strong>


	14. Something Old, Something New

**AN: Okay, so in the States it is technically Sept. 2, 2012 so when I promised this chapter I was going off US time, not Philippines times. But anyway, more than that sorry for the delay on this. If you hadn't heart on Friday (this past August 31) there was a massive earthquake in my area. 7.9 and the epicenter was about 40km from where I am currently living so...there was a lot of panic and enough damage to knock out electricity and water for about a day or two. We're slowly returning to normal, but...yeah. I couldn't get to this story for almost a day because I had no power to charge my computer and...there was madness here in Samar haha. But anyway, I hope you enjoy, I think this chapter came out quite nicely. Review!**

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><p>"Amy! Over here!"<p>

Instinctively, Amy gripped the strap to her messenger bag at the sight of bouncing blonde hair up ahead and readied herself for the onslaught of enthusiasm. She smiled, if not a little hesitantly, and waved, "Hey Grace."

Her step-sister briskly walked toward her and wrapped her arms around Amy, barely giving Amy time to do the same before she pulled back and rested one hand on her bicep, "How are you doing?" Grace fixed her with a serious gaze and Amy shied away.

"Uh…fine, just a little jetlagged."

Right away the serious expression melted back into a smile and Grace stepped back, "Oh I bet, was the flight shaky?"

Amy shook her head as she readjusted her bag, "No, just long. And it's the first time I've ever had to travel by myself so…"

"That's right! Usually Ashley or your mom comes with you! Well, I can understand. I remember the first time I flew to Africa alone I was beside myself! I kept thinking-"

"Woah, Grace, Amy just got here, let's give her some breathing space alright?" Kathleen came up behind her daughter and placed a hand on her shoulder before looking at Amy. "Hey honey, it's great to see you."

Amy smiled and nodded, she did always like Kathleen, even if she was the reason why her family had split up, "Good to see you too, um…" she looked around, "Where's dad?"

She was surprised to no t see him nearby, but Kathleen stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Amy's shoulder, "He's back at the house cooking up a storm. He's so excited for you coming that he's pretty much destroying my kitchen for your arrival."

"Ah," Amy sighed, "sounds like dad." She couldn't help the smile as Kathleen proceeded to lead them over to baggage claim with Grace in tow.

"Oh yeah Ames, you should have seen George running around like a chicken without a head. He's really going over the top. I mean, we're all excited for you to be here. I'm glad to have another girl in the house and it'll be great having you at school also."

Amy nodded politely as they stood among the mass of flight 142 and searched for Amy's bright red duffel bag. "Did my things make it here alright?"

Kathleen nodded, "The boxes were delivered yesterday and we set them up in your room, but didn't open them. Is that really all the stuff that you have Ames? I kind of expected more."

Amy chuckled and shrugged, "I'm pretty low maintenance. They're just clothes and books mostly. A few photo albums and memory books, but most of my stuff is in storage with Ashley and Mom's things. My friend Mariah has the key so if I do need anything from storage she said she'd get it and send it right away."

Kathleen smiled, "Well, that's good. Oh! Is that it right there?"

The three women proceeded to seek out Amy's luggage and then head to the car, making small talk and indulging each other in various topics. The ease of it all seemed to calm Amy, but as they moved closer and closer to the Juergens-Bowman suburban home Amy felt like she was being pulled further and further away from her mom and from her sister.

Looking at Kathleen and Grace made her wonder if this was what it had been like for her dad, trading one family for the other. Had he felt this uncomfortable? Had he felt any regret at all? Or had it been as easy as driving from point A to point B?

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><p>The week seemed to fly by as Amy tried to fit her life into the very large, well furnished bedroom that her dad had set up for her. Tom had recently moved into the guest house with Grace's ex-boyfriend Jack whose parents had moved away…or something of the sort. And so Amy got to have Tom's old room. It was spacious with a large window facing the front yard and more room than Amy really needed, but her dad looked so happy that she couldn't bring herself to complain. Instead she just agreed and smiled politely, stayed in her room and texted back and forth with Mariah and Megan.<p>

_'Have you seen any celebrities?'_

_'Do you think your dad will give you a car if you ask?'_

_ 'Did you talk to your mom and sister?'_

_ 'Grace sounds annoying.'_

_ 'Have you called Ricky yet?'_

She hadn't bothered texting Megan back a response from there, because the truth was that she had maybe ten or eleven drafted text messages to Ricky in her phone, had hovered over the talk button with his name highlighted in her phone book maybe once every hour. But she hadn't contacted him. She couldn't bring herself to do it, not yet. There was too much going on, she told herself, too much new things going on. Maybe when there was some semblance of normalcy. But in the evening when she would stare at her phone, sift through the pictures she had of them together, she knew that she was afraid that she would be disappointed. What if he wasn't excited to know she was close by? What if it got messed up before anything even started? It would just make living in California worse and she didn't want to ruin everything before it even started.

Her thoughts traced back to that first evening they had together, dinner at his apartment. It had all seemed so simple in the beginning. There was an ease to it that she knew was mostly due to Ricky being careful with her, but, nonetheless, she had felt safe. She wanted to feel safe again.

_"__So, this is the place. Sorry for the mess, but Nora is away for a few days and I haven't had time to straighten up properly__.__"_

_The apartment was a well-furnished loft apartment with an amazing view of the city. Amy could see some clothes and books strewn about, but not too much of a mess, so she shook her head, "No, it's fine you should see our apartment. For three girls who are barely home most of the time my mom, Ashley, and I have things all over." She set the grocery bag on the counter and proceeded to pull out items. She arranged them on separate counters, all of Ricky's cooking ingredients from her baking ingredients, as Ricky loosened his tie._

_ "I'm just going to change really quickly," he said as he reached up to retrieve a pot from one of the kitchen cabinets. "Could you put 3 cups of water in this and set it on the stove, I need it to boil for the pasta."_

_Amy nodded and took the pot from him, "Sure, I think I can manage that," she teased._

_Ricky laughed and brushed her hair back behind her ear, "I'll be right back, feel free to take whatever you need. Cooking utensils are in that drawer by the sink__.__"__ He swept out of the room, picking up stray clothes as he went, while Amy busied herself in the kitchen. She quickly began to boil the water then turned to the rest of the groceries, arranging them on the counter for easy access. She wasn't exactly sure of Ricky's recipe, so she left the various meats and vegetables alone, instead focusing on her lemon bar recipe. She found a decent sized bowl sitting in the drying rack as well as a whisk and a zester and got to work. She was just finishing the batter for her lemon bars when a pair of arms snaked around her waist._

"_You find everything you need?" She nodded her head against his lips and felt an involuntary shiver run down her spine as they brushed her neck._

"_You best start on that pasta if you want us to eat or else all we'll have is dessert." He nodded and pulled away, but not before grazing a kiss across her cheek, then setting to work._

_He moved effortlessly, chopping tomatoes, garlic, and onions; getting another pot and mixing an liquids together until he had rich red sauce bubbling. His water had begun to boil and he quickly removed the pasta from it's packaging and broke it in half, allowing the water to immerse it with just a little bit of salt. He chuckled and shook his head, "My dad hates packaged pasta. He always wants to make his own, fresh, but it's a really long process and I honestly prefer the packaged one because that's what Margaret uses."_

_Amy smiled as she scooped her lemon bar batter into a glass dish and glanced at him, "Your dad knows how to make fresh pasta?" Ricky nodded and began to sauté the ground beef for the meat sauce._

"_Yeah, it's a Boykewich tradition. My grandpa taught my dad and my dad taught Ben and I. Ben also only likes fresh pasta. He can even tell the difference when eating it. But I can't and… I don't know, I just don't mind if it's from a box. It's quicker and it reminds me of Shakur and Margaret."_

_Amy chuckled, "How long did you live with them before the Boykewichs adopted you?"_

"_Um, maybe six years or so. I had bounced from foster home to foster home until I came to live with them and things just clicked. I wasn't an easy foster kid, I was…rowdy, unapologetic, and messed up, but Margaret never gave up on me and it was a hard decision to leave them for my mom and dad. Margaret and Shakur, I know, would have adopted me if they hadn't."_

"_We could have been friends in another life," Amy teased. "If you had stayed with Margaret and Shakur and moved here, we could have met earlier."_

_Ricky chuckled and wiped his hands on a dish towel just as Amy turned, leaning against the counter to face him. His hands quickly sought her waist and he rested his forehead against hers, "Oh the what if's," he laughed._

_She also closed her eyes and leaned into his body heat, "I like though that we met now instead of, possibly, years before."_

"_Oh?" Ricky asked, "And why's that?"_

_She opened her eyes to meet his and bit her lip instinctively, watching as his eyes flitted down to her lips, "Because, maybe you wouldn't have worked so hard to gain my affection if you had met me three years ago when Mariah did. I was very gullible you know and probably would have given in much sooner to you and your charm."_

"_Really?" Ricky said, intrigued. Amy laughed and pushed him away playfully._

"_I was stupid then, I would have just let you break my heart and you probably would have done it."_

_Ricky laughed and shook his head, pulling her back to him and bringing his lips down to hers. His hand traced her cheek as her eyes fluttered closed, the feeling of their chemistry electrifying both of their bodies. When he pulled away, breathless just as she was, He laughed and had to kiss her once again, "I'm not gonna break your heart Amy, as long as you don't break mine."_

A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts and Amy tossed her phone away, standing up to straighten her clothes, "Come in."

Grace poked her head in the room and smiled brightly at Amy, "Hey! Are you busy?"

Amy shook her head and motioned for Grace to come in, "No, what's up?"

With a bright smile Grace bounced in, shutting the door behind her and stuffing her hands in her back pockets. "I just wanted to ask if you wanted to come out with me and a few of my friends. Kind of a last hurrah before school starts you know? Most of them are in our grade so you'll see them around a lot, might as well get to know them right?"

Amy bit her lip, unsure if she really felt up to going out, but felt her resolve faltering under Grace's cheery disposition. She had been cooped up in the house for days and Grace was right, it would be good for her to get to know some of her classmates. "Okay," she relented, "let me just change." Grace squealed and clapped her hands together, heading towards Amy's newly stocked closet and threw it open.

"We're going down to the pier, so you'll have to dress warm!"

Amy let out a breathy chuckled and nodded, "Alright, alright…"

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><p>"So then she tells me t hat she didn't know he didn't speak English and I was like, 'Madison, you didn't talk to the guy before you started making out with him?'"<p>

"Hey! I thought he was just trying to be suave and romantic using a foreign language and he _did_ know English—"

"Knowing how to say "Hi, would you like to come with me," doesn't count and it's creepy." Amy laughed right along with Grace and Alice at the antics of Lauren and Madison. The two girlfriends of Grace were recounting their three week vacation in Europe and were more entertaining to watch really than the story was. They bantered off each other like an old married couple and Amy couldn't deny that she thought they were hilarious, if not a little ridiculous. All of Grace's friends were like that really. Lauren had dark skin, the daughter of a therapist, and was always the voice of reason in whatever story she told of her and Madison's misadventures. Madison in contrast was very fair, bubbly and little clueless. Separate from each other, Amy didn't think they would get along, but the combination of the two of them together made for interesting conversation and so Amy could imagine keeping their company, if only in doses.

Alice was easier to relate to. She was quiet at first, but her sarcasm was quick and her logical reasoning apt. Amy knew that she and Alice would get along, if only because Alice reminded her a lot of Mariah. The three of them, with Grace made for an odd collection of girls, but Amy enjoyed the dynamic more than she thought she would. They each had known each other since freshman year, each had their own cliques in school, but all came together in a weird sort of familial way. It was a natural friendship and Amy was glad that she had come out tonight to meet them.

"Oh hey, there's Ben and Henry! Hey! Boys!" Amy turned to see Grace flagging down a tall lanky boy from across the street and the boy quickly waved back. He checked both ways before crossing, an Asian boy following in tow and quickly made their way over to the girls.

"Hello ladies," Ben said, slipping his hands into his pockets as his friend sidled up next to him, "Enjoying the summer while it lasts?"

"Only a few more hours and then it'll be junior year! I can't believe it," Madison squealed. Lauren rolled her eyes and Amy bit back a chuckle.

"Oh, and this is Amy," Grace supplied, pulling Amy's attention back to the conversation, "she's my step-sister and she'll be going to Grant with us. Amy," Grace said, turning to her step-sister, "This is Ben and Henry they're on student council with Alice and I. Ben is actually our junior class President."

"Oh," Amy said, raising a hand for a sheepish wave, "Hi, nice to meet you." Ben offered a friendly smile to her as well and held out a hand.

"Nice to meet you too, so you're the new girl?"

Amy shrugged and took his hand to shake, "I guess so."

Ben chuckled and nodded as she gave him a hearty shake, "Well, then we'll be seeing a lot of each other. I was told tomorrow that I am your go-to tour guide, so if you need anything: where to find your classes, the best tables in the lunch room, what clubs to join, I'm your guy."

Amy nodded, "I'll keep that in mind." His gaze seemed to linger on her longer than necessary, so she pulled away first, a blush rising in her cheeks. She coughed and stepped back and Ben seemed to take the hint, turning his attention back to the other girls.

"Ah, well, we'll leave you ladies to your evening, see you all tomorrow. Come on Henry," he nodded to each of the girls, lastly looking at Amy and offering her another sweet smile, "And I guess, I'll talk to you tomorrow Amy."

"Yeah, sure," she said, pursing her lips and waving goodbye. Once they had started to move again a chuckle from Alice brought Amy's attention to her.

"Seems Ben might have taken a liking to you,"

"Oh my gosh!" Madison squealed, "You saw that too! Oh Amy, you should totally go for it. Ben is such a sweetheart!"

Amy bit her lip and shook her head, "I don't know. I'm not really looking for anything right now, I just want to survive the school year."

"Well," Lauren jumped in, "you seem like you'll be okay, and Ben is a nice guy. If there is anyone in school worth getting to know, it's him."

"Yeah, Amy! I think Ben likes you." Grace teased, hooking her elbow with Amy's, "And he's really nice. I think you two would hit it off!"

An uncomfortable pit began to form in her stomach, leaving her nauseous and anxious all at the same time. So she did the only thing she knew to do and changed the subject, "Hey, I'm starving, is anyone else hungry?"

The topic then switched to food and Amy sighed in relief, hoping that no more talk of Ben or possible romantic feelings would come up again as it made it more and more difficult not to think about the sight of Ricky's half-smirk or the feeling of his lips against hers. _'__Ugh,'_ Amy thought, _'__That's just what I need…another boy…'_

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><p><strong>AN: DUN DUN DUN...haha couldn't help it. What kind of Secret Life fanfic would this be if there wasn't some love triangle goodness between RickyAmy/Ben. Thankfully, MY Ben is easier to take than the other Ben, so, please review.**_  
><em>

**update: Sept. 9, 2012  
><strong>


	15. Good Intentions, Bad Offenses

**AN: I'll explain down below. . sorry. so sorry.**

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><p>"She was cute," Henry commented as both he and Ben continued down the pier. Ben turned back to glance at the retreating figures of his classmates and nodded.<p>

"Yeah, she was. She actually looked kind of familiar…" There was a familiarity to the curve of her smile, but Ben couldn't think of where he knew it from.

"Maybe from your dreams?" Ben snorted and lightly shoved his best friend. Henry chuckled and nudged him back, "Hey, she might be making a visit or two in mine for a while, especially if we'll be seeing more of her.

Ben chuckled, "And I'm sure Alice would just love to hear that."

Henry shrugged in almost nonchalance, but the mention of his girlfriend seemed to stiffen his back, "Hey man, Alice will be there too. It's a perfectly healthy practice to have fantasies about other partners. Even Alice says so."

"Oh really?" Ben asked, his eyebrows raising high toward his hairline. Henry was able to hold his gaze for a moment before letting it fall away.

"Well, she might have said…something like that. But, even if she didn't, it's not like she would ever know what I'm…dreaming. Alice can't read minds."

Ben struggled to keep to keep the smirk off his face. He kept his eyes fixed on his friend, steady and unwavering, and watched as Henry shifted uncomfortable. Finally he sighed and rolled his eyes, "Oh, alright. Just don't tell her okay? I don't want what I do with Alice to turn into fantasies too. I quite like where we've gotten in our relationship."

Ben snorted and nodded, "Whatever you say buddy." He turned away from Henry and caught sight of a familiar burly football player up ahead, "Oh, hey there's Jack and Ricky. Come on." The two approached Ben's brother and his friend from behind, realizing as they got closer that both boys were engaged in a heated conversation with a shorter, curvier figure. "Oh no," Ben sighed, "Its Adrian."

Coming up on the three, Ben and Henry caught the tail end of Adrian's frustrated scoff as well as the sight of Ricky rolling his eyes, "We've been over this Adrian."

"Yeah, yeah, you've moved on, whatever. I don't care, so have I. I just thought you'd like to know that I have too, so it doesn't have to be awkward tomorrow when we see each other."

Ricky nodded, though Ben could see he was holding back another eye roll, "Thanks for your consideration. Now, if you don't mind, we were just leaving."

He turned and caught sight of Ben and Henry nodding to them and to Jack to follow his lead, but Adrian pulled at his sleeve, "Seriously? You're not even a little curious as to who I got over you with? You used to get jealous at the _thought_ of anyone coming near me—"

Ricky shrugged his arm out of her grip and scoffed, "Well, things have changed and I'm not interested in who you're letting in your pants so—"

"Alright," Ben cried out, stepping in between both his brother and Adrian. "Hey guys," he greeted, "So, this has obviously been a _lovely_ little catch up, but I'm starving so I think it's best we get going. I am a growing boy you know?" He gently pushed his brother ahead, letting him take the lead knowing that he wouldn't like feeling like he was being led away and nodded at the fiery ex-girlfriend. "Adrian," he nodded, "always a pleasure."

She opened her mouth to argue back, but Ben silenced her with a pointed glance and turned away. Instead he turned his attention to his brother as Jack and Henry fell in step behind them. "Best not poke the angry tiger, huh?"

Ricky's jaw clenched and he seemed to bite back a scowl, "She started it."

Ben rolled his eyes, "Yeah well, again, _tiger_."

Ricky sighed and tossed an accusatory glance back at Jack, "Well, if someone had warned me she was coming our way we could have avoided the whole thing all together."

Jack shook his head ad held his hands up in surrender, "She came out of nowhere dude, and I promised myself I'd never get in between you and Adrian again. Not after last time."

Henry snorted, "You mean when you made out with her at the dance and the whole school was there to witness it, including Grace?" Jack glared at Henry, who shrunk away and distanced himself from the annoyed football captain.

Ricky just shook his head and stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Whatever, let's just go eat. I just want to forget Adrian all together."

Ben pursed his lips, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder, "We get it Ricky, but you know, I think Adrian just wants to feel like she mattered to you; that you cared for her. No one would blame you if you still-"

Ricky cut his brother off just as they reached the Mamma Mia Pizzeria and pulled open the heavy wooden door, "No. I don't. All Adrian and I ever did was hurt each other. We didn't actually care for one another. It was all sex and _not_ the way two people who are supposed to care about each other should act, which wasn't fair to either of us."

Ben sighed, "Alright, alright. It's just…you were together for a long time and all that history can't be erased by just one summer."

Ben nodded at Gino the owner, who waved the boys down and nodded toward their regular table. Boykewich Butchers provided Gino with all his premium meat so they were frequent customers if only for the discounted slices. Ricky nodded toward Gino as well before pulling out his phone. Ben caught the light grow even dimmer in his brother's eyes as he shoved the phone back in his pocket, but nearly missed him mutter under his breath, "It can. Or…at least I thought it could. But I guess summer _is_ really over."

Ricky headed toward the table, Jack and Henry following suit. The other three boys shared lingering looks of concerned, but collectively agreed that it was best to change the subject. Ben gave one last sigh as he took his place across from Ricky and forced a smile as Gino approached their table. "Ah, there are my favorite boys. So what'll it be?"

Ricky started, obviously needing the distraction, and Ben leaned back in his chair pretending to peruse the menu. His pocket vibrated against his thigh and he quickly fished out his phone to see he had received a message. Pressing the accept button he felt the weight in his heart for his brother get even heavier as he took in the message, _'__Call me later if you can. XO.'_ It was from Adrian.

* * *

><p>Amy stared at her reflection in the mirror and ran her hands over the maroon polo and plaid skirt. The Grant Academy emblem rested against her heart and she reached up to finger it gingerly with a tilt of her head. It was strange to be in uniform. Her school in New York had been more of a liberal school, very interested in all forms of expression, so she had seen all types of outfits. But she had never worn a uniform, sans her one for band. Still, she had never been one to experiment with her outfits so she couldn't really complain. It was actually nice to not have to worry about her wardrobe and at least she had some choices. Grant Academy had four polo shirts to choose from: maroon, white, golden-rod, and dark grey and those could be paired with plaid, khaki, or black bottoms: skirts, capris, or pants and that wasn't even including the P.E. uniform.<p>

She sighed and turned to the side, going from the black knee high boots she had just slipped on up to her French braid. It wasn't too bad, she could get used to it. A knock came to the door. "Come in," she called out, adjusting a few of the bobby pins in her hair and straightening her polo once more.

She had assumed it was Grace, coming to check on if she was ready, but became surprised when her dad's reflection showed in her mirror. "Dad," she turned to find him smiling at her, "hey, uh…" she squirmed awkwardly under his gaze, "good morning."

"Good morning, and wow Ames, the uniform looks good on you. You really look like a Grant Academy Lancer."

Amy pursed her lips, "Thanks, I guess."

Her dad nodded and sighed deeply, his hands finding their way into his pockets as he stepped into the room. "I'm really glad you decided to come, Amy. I can't tell you how much it means to me for you to be here."

Amy nodded, "Yeah, I know dad." She walked over to her bag, laying on her bed beside her jacket, "It's nice to be here."

"Really?" Her dad asked, concern furrowing his brow, "You really mean that Ames?"

Amy sighed, not appreciating the feeling of being baited, but chose to ignore it, "I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be, dad."

George nodded, "I know. Or…" he sighed, "Or at least that's what I'd like to know."

Amy fought the urge to roll her eyes, but couldn't help but turn to her father sharply, "What's that supposed to mean?"

She watched as her dad shifted into a defensive stance and internally prepared herself battle, "Just that…I'd like to think that you're here because you want to be here, but the truth is if your mom hadn't been about to move half-way across the world for some dream job, you wouldn't be here."

At that Amy did roll her eyes, "Well, you're right dad. If mom hadn't gotten that job, I would still be in New York with my friends at my school and working the job that I really liked. But _"__the truth is__"_ mom did get that job and I didn't want to tour around Asia like some kind of nomad. So, I'm here. I chose to come here." She lifted the strap of her bag over her shoulder and crossed her arms, staring her father down as frown grew before her eyes. "So, I'm sorry if it offends you that this is not my first choice, but I thought you'd be happy that it wasn't my last choice and that I was willing to give this a try at all, unlike Ashley who still wants nothing to do with you and your new life and new family. But, if I was wrong and that's not enough for you, then I can probably still call mom and meet her in Tokyo," she shook her head, "Up to you."

He reached out for her and tried to grab her as she went, but Amy shied away, "Hey Grace, you ready?"

Grace was coming up the stairs, clearly having heard something going on, but Amy was glad she took the cue and nodded her head. "Sure, come on let's go. Alice is outside." Amy smiled gratefully and kept walking, not sparing a look back at her dad.

* * *

><p>Ben's phone vibrated across the desk as he was bent over tying his shoes. Out of instinct he reached over and answered, bringing the phone to his ear and expecting to hear Henry's voice.<p>

"Hello?"

_"__Hey,"_

Ben stiffened and froze, "Oh," he said, his breath catching in his throat, "Hey…good morning."

_"__You didn't call me last night."_

Ben sighed and leaned back in his chair, running a hand down his face, "Yeah, sorry. I was going to, but when I got home Alice and Grace three-way called me with some issues about tomorrow's Welcome Back Rally and by the time we got it sorted I was so exhausted from talking to both of them that I knocked out. You didn't wait up did you?"

_"__No, oh no, I just…I was hoping to at least say good night to you last night."_

She was so different when talking to him, sweet and not in the desperate way she seemed to be with his brother. He almost couldn't believe she was the same person that had nearly ripped his brother's head off, but that didn't change the fact that she was and that it had been bothering him since last night.

"So, how are you?" He started, deciding to begin small, hoping to build up to the harder topic of her lingering feelings for Ricky.

_"__I'm okay, just getting ready for school. It's so crazy that it's my last year you know? Time really does fly when you're not paying attention."_ She laughed and he couldn't help but think it sounded like music to him, especially when there was no malice or sarcasm in it. When it was pure and genuine, it was one of the most beautiful sounds in the world.

"Yeah," he agreed, "Can't say that Junior Year doesn't feel strange on me either. This is supposed to be the hardest year right?"

She chuckled again, _"__Yeah, but you'll do great. You always do, Mr. President."_

He smiled, he was about to open his mouth and ask her about her classes, maybe ask about her college applications when she sighed, _"__So, listen…about last night…"_

He stopped and nearly deflated, the sweet and funny Adrian he had come to know over the summer slipping away and slowly replaced by his brother's crazy ex-girlfriend, "Yeah," he sighed, "about that." Ben stared up at the ceiling and tried to find the words.

_"__Look Ben,"_ she started, _"__What you walked in on was…it was not how I wanted that conversation to go okay? I really just wanted to say hi and tell him that I was finally okay with us breaking up. I wanted to kind of…you know, lay the foundation for a better year and…" _she sighed, _"__I don't know it just got out of hand. He was so—so-"_

"Ricky?" he supplied. Adrian laughed again, but this time it didn't sound as sweet.

_"__Yeah,"_ silence fell between them and Ben felt it growing more and more uncomfortable as the seconds passed, _"__And well,"_

"Listen, Adrian," he said, cutting her off this time, "I understand, really. Ricky can be infuriating sometimes but…" he bit his lip and crossed his legs, "But I think there is something to be said about where that conversation went last night. You could have just told him that you were over him and let him walk away, but…but you got upset because he wasn't interested in knowing it. You almost told him about everything and we agreed that we needed to wait. But you couldn't. You wanted to get a reaction out of him."

_"__That's not true-"_

"Yes it is, Adrian. Yes it is and you know it." He sighed deeply and closed his eyes, "And you know what else? That's okay. Like I said to Ricky last night, I can't blame you for still feeling something for him. For wanting to know and feel like you mattered to him. You both were together for a long time and that's _not_ going to go away after one summer, no matter what you or Ricky say. But with that…" he paused and tried to figure out how he was going to say what he wanted to say next, "With that I think it's best we not do this anymore."

_"__What?" _she spit out harshly, the angry and defensive Adrian becoming clearer and clearer in his mind, _"__Ben? What are you saying?"_

"I'm saying that, I like you. I do. I want to see if there is somewhere for us to go, but I don't think you're ready for that. I think a part of you still needs closure from Ricky and a part of him still needs closure from you. And until that happens we can't keep doing _this_. Whatever _this_ is." He pursed his lips and stared down his khaki pants. "I think we had a really interesting and surprising summer together. One that I wish had never ended, but…" Ricky's words from last night came back to him, "maybe summer really _is_ over."

He expected her to lash out, to get angry at him and start some kind of argument just as she always had with Ricky, but again she surprised him by sighing deeply into the phone, _"__Jeez, you Boykewich boys really know how to hurt a girl, don't you?"_

"Adrian-"

_"__No, Ben. Seriously? I…I'll just see you around okay? Or not…whatever. Bye."_ And with that she hung up.

Ben hung his head, touching his chin down to his chest. He let the weight of the conversation pull him down until his head hung between his legs and ran a hand through his hair. "Great. Just great."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I apologize profusely for the three month delay. It was not my intention to be that irresponsible, but the reality is that my current location, lack of consistent internet, and my job have just taken over my life. I will try really hard to update more often and stay inspired. It's doubly difficult when I can't even watch Secret Life (because it's not aired here) and I don't have strong enough internet to watch it on youtube. I did get to see the RAMY scenes from the Holiday special and were thrilled by them, but we won't get back to Ramy scenes in this story until my next update, which I'm hoping will by by this Wednesday evening. Hope there is enough drama to make you speculate some craziness up ahead (i.e. ben x adrian WHA?!) Review if you're still out there.<br>**


	16. Caught in the Middle of a Dream

**AN: Whew. WHEW. My goodness this chapter made me exhausted because, like all of you, I also want Ricky and Amy to meet and see where it goes, but you know, this is one of those stories that writes itself and I kinda just...encode for the characters. So, I hope you enjoy.**

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><p>"<em>So, do you like working for BB? Or is it just something you and your brother are expected to do?" It was a sunny Sunday afternoon and Ricky found himself lounging in Central Park with Amy beneath the shade of an old Willow tree. Her head rested against his chest as his hand drew lazy circles on her shoulder; the both of them watching the clouds pass by. He smiled at her question and turned to press his lips against her forehead, "A little bit of both. My brother and I <em>_**are**__ expected to take over the business, but…it's something that we like, something that we're proud of. My father and my uncle, well, this is their life's work and Ben and I have always wanted to honor that, I guess."_

_Amy snuggled closer to him, letting her arm snake across his chest as she tilted her head up to meet his eyes, "That's really sweet."_

_Ricky chuckled and slipped a hand across her cheek, "Ah well, I try." She laughed as he descended, his lips seeking out hers as she gripped him closer. He didn't think he could ever get enough of her and her kisses or the feeling of her legs tangling up with his. She was the first to pull away, propping herself up on one arm as she pushed him back down onto their picnic blanket._

"_Try to remember, we're in a public place Mr. Underwood," she teased. "There could be children around."_

_He slipped his arm out from under her and laid it to rest beneath his head, the smile on his face slowly turning into a smirk, "If that's your way of hinting that you want to go back to my place, I'm all for it."_

_Amy rolled her eyes, slapping him playfully against the chest. "In your dreams, Underwood."_

_Ricky laughed, "Oh you have no idea."_

_Then he caught it, the slight downturn of her mouth as a laugh ghosted her lips and she looked out at the expanse of the park. He watched her eyes become glassy, signaling her thoughts leaving the shade of the tree and he shook his head at his testosterone getting the better of him. He moved to sit up and brushed Amy's hair behind her ear, "Ames, I'm just kidding. You know I would never pressure you into doing anything you didn't want to do."_

_Amy turned back to him and smiled, "I know, it's not that. I just…"_

_She reached up to finger the collar of his shirt, his own hand sliding down to caress her arm, "What?" he asked, "What is it?"_

"_I just like being with you. It's hard thinking about what it will be like when all I have left are dreams of you."_

_Ricky furrowed his brow and cupped her cheek, bringing her gaze to meet his, "Hey, so don't think about it. We're here now, that's all that matters."_

_Amy pursed her lips, obviously wanting to protest, but he wouldn't let her. He buried his fingers in her hair and brought her lips to his, choosing the best course of action to get her to stop thinking and just enjoy their day together._

_He put all of his feelings for her into every kiss they shared, knowing that their days were limited, knowing that the end of summer was fast approaching. But he also knew that he couldn't let Amy think about it for too long, because she would pull away, she would limit their time even more and he didn't think he could stand it. He didn't even think he could stand leaving her at all. But all thoughts of that flew from his mind when she pushed him back to the blanket and her hair draped around their faces as their kissing continued._

_He felt his entire body come to life, every neuron in his brain going at full speed as he tried to soak up every part of Amy and their relationship. When they finally had to pull away, for breathing's sake, Ricky could feel the fog around them lighten, his eyes fixed on her swollen lips and her tongue as it peeked out to moisten them. He chuckled and reached up to brush back her hair, holding it against her cheek, "So…you have dreams about me?"_

_Her laughter rang out like an angel chorus as she dropped her head down to his shoulder and his arms wrapped around her. It prompted his own laughter as he hugged her tighter and pressed his lips against the top of her head. But, more than that, it eased their tension. They were back to just being in the moment and he could only home to stay in it forever._

* * *

><p>The slam of a locker door brought his thoughts back to reality, though he felt disoriented from the sudden shift. He looked up to see Jack eyeing him curiously, his English text book under one arm and his letterman jacket slung over one shoulder, "Dude, have you even been listening to me?"<p>

Ricky sighed and shook his head, "Sorry man, I kinda spaced out."

Jack nodded, "I could see that. So, what's up? Are you okay?"

Ricky shrugged and pushed himself off the lockers, heading off toward their first class, "It's nothing, just got a lot on my mind."

The two continued down the hall, passing classmates and nodding in greeting whenever their names were called. Ricky turned to Jack and noticed him smirking in the direction of a few girls who had seemed to immediately clock them. They were smiling widely and offering suggestive glances, to which Jack responded with a smile of his own, but Ricky only snorted and shook his head. "I thought you were going to try and get back together with Grace?" he asked, pulling Jack's attention back to him.

Jack shrugged and laughed, "I don't know. I mean, a part of me does and a part of me wonders if it's really worth it. I mean, Grace and I have tried and tried to get our act together and something just keeps messing us up."

Ricky rolled his eyes, "You mean, _you_ keep messing up."

Jack waved him off, "Man, whatever. Anyway, this is the first year that the both of us our single. Why not just enjoy it. Isn't one of the reasons you broke up with Adrian was to not be tied down? No more drama, just fun before college?"

Ricky didn't answer, remembering that he had told Jack that senior year was going to be better without Adrian and her drama. That he was looking forward to a lot of "last hurrah" moments with nameless girls from their school, but that was all before he had met Amy.

"Come on man," Jack said, clapping a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Just look around! Girls are just waiting for you to notice them. Why not enjoy it?"

Ricky sighed. News of his and Adrian's break up had spread and he could feel the lusty of eyes of Grant's female population following his every move and hear the teasing lilt in the sweet voices that called out to him. Only, he felt no interest in reciprocating. Under normal circumstances he would relish in it, even openly welcome them and try to take advantage of the opportunity of being single. Though, truthfully, he hadn't been entirely monogamous with Adrian anyway. But now, it all just seemed cheap.

"Things change man," Ricky said as they came up on their classroom. "What else can I say?"

Jack eyed him suspiciously, opening the door to classroom and shuffling in behind him. "It's that girl isn't it? The one from New York? Dude, I thought that was just a summer thing." Ricky glared at him and shook his head, he was not in the mood to talk about Amy with Jack. He honestly didn't feel like talking about Amy at all, he just wanted to talk _to_ her. "Alright," Jack said, taking the hint, "Whatever, I'm just saying that you're obviously here and she's obviously there and there's nothing you can do to change that. Might as well, move on."

Ricky sighed deeply and took his seat, pretending to catch sight of something in the window of the door, "Hey, there's Grace."

Immediately, Jack turned around, knocking into his desk and causing the metal legs to screech against the linoleum floor, "What? Where?"

Ricky couldn't suppress the laughter and wiped a hand over his face, "My mistake. Must have been someone else, but looks like I'm not the only one that has to move on."

Jack turned back and fixed him with a pointed glance, "Not cool dude."

"No, but totally hilarious." Ricky held back more chuckles as Jack righted his desk and took his seat beside Ricky.

"Okay, whatever I get your point. Anyway, I heard Grace's stepsister moved in with them and Henry says she's cute."

Ricky rolled his eyes and opened his binder, just as the bell rang and students began to file in, "Jack, honestly?"

Jack sighed and shrugged, "Alright, whatever. Just thought you might be interested."

* * *

><p>The day so far had been better than Amy expected despite the initial rough start. She found that she shared a lot of classes with Lauren, Madison, Alice, and Grace so she was grateful to have bonded with them the day before since it made the transition much easier. The only classes she didn't seem to have with any of them were Spanish IV and Biology, which left her feeling anxious. She wasn't exactly shy, but she also wasn't entirely graceful in social settings. "First day jitters,"<p>

"What was that?" She jumped slightly and looked up to the familiar face of the boy she had met last night. "Ah, sorry," he chuckled, taking the seat beside her, "Didn't mean to sneak up on you like that."

Amy let out a breathy laugh, "No, it's okay. Um," she tilted her head to the side, "Ben, right?"

He smiled and nodded, "Yeah and you're Amy. It's nice to see you again." The two looked up as the bell rang and students began to find their seats, a balding man with a briefcase entered the room, twitching his nose and causing his moustache to sweep back and forth across his lip. He addressed the class, "Buenos diaz clasé."

"Buenos diaz, Sir." They all rattled off instinctually. He introduced himself as Señor Barboni and said he had been working at Grant for over twelve years. He was originally from Nebraska, but his grandfather was a Spaniard and when he had turned eighteen he had moved to his grandfather's village and lived with him for five years before coming back and getting his teaching degree. He had a deep voice, smooth and disproportionate to his features, but he had a dry humor that Amy could appreciate. Eventually, he got into the lesson saying that he wanted to assess where their Spanish writing skills were, seeing as their class would be predominantly reading and writing in Spanish.

"Find a partner," he called out, his voice slipping out of one accent into the other and Amy immediately bit her lip, she first turned to Ben, expecting to see him already partnered with someone else. He was the Junior Class President after all, but he was looking at her with a friendly smile.

"Partner?" he asked.

Amy smiled gratefully and nodded, "Okay. Thanks."

Ben shook his head, "It's my pleasure, really."

Amy was about to say something more when a girl approached the pair, her hair a tousled mess of wavy dark hair and her plaid skirt hugging her curves. "Hey Ben, I was hoping we could partner up? You know, like last year?"

Amy bit her lip and looked up at the girl, her gaze steady on Ben with a hopefulness that made Amy suddenly feel like she was intruding on a moment. Ben seemed to be just as surprised as Amy was, his gaze meeting Adrian's with a similar spark to it and they all sat there for an awkward moment in silence. "Ben, if you'd rather-"

"No," Amy's voice seemed to pull Ben from his stupor. "I'm sorry Adrian, but I already agreed to partner with Amy. Sorry," he tried to smile lightly, "maybe in another class?"

Amy pursed her lips and looked sheepishly at Adrian who didn't seem at all pleased with his response. "Sure," she breathed out, her eyes finally finding Amy's and causing a chill to run up her spine, "maybe another class." With that she left the two behind, heading toward the back of the classroom and Amy turned to Ben.

"You could have partnered with her, you didn't have to stay with me because I'm new and all."

Ben offered a tight smile and shook his head, "I promise, that's not it. You and I agreed first and I'm a man that honors my agreements." He leaned back in his seat and glanced at the back of the class, "Besides, you are new and someone I'd like to get to know. I already know Adrian."

Amy bit her lip and also glanced briefly at the girl who seemed to be visibly upset as she sidled next to a talkative redhead. "Ex-girlfriend?" she asked innocently, trying to lighten the mood. Ben chuckled and shook his head, "No. Actually she's the ex-girlfriend of my brother and even though we're friends, they just broke up and we're trying to figure out where everyone stands."

Amy's brow furrowed and swept her braid over her shoulder, "Hmm, sounds like a lot of drama."

Ben smiled and shrugged, "It's high school. What can you do?"

Señor Barboni called the class together again and set them to work writing introduction letters to their partner. Amy found the work enjoyable, the silence allowing her to breathe as she slipped into the Spanish she could remember. She explained herself as best she could on paper, glancing at Ben from time to time as he was the one she was writing to. He seemed like a very genuine person and she was glad that there weren't any lingering glances from him like the evening before. She didn't feel as if he wanted anything from her other than friendship and she greatly appreciated that.

But she did feel as if someone was watching her. She casually glanced around her, but didn't see any eyes turned in her direction. It wasn't until the bell rang and Señor Barboni dismissed the class did she find the source of her discomfort. As Amy slipped out of her chair, lifting the strap of her messenger bag onto her shoulder, she caught sight of Adrian, the girl that had wanted to partner with Ben, glaring at her. She bit her lip and turned away, deciding it best to just slip out of the class as quickly as possible, but Ben caught up with her.

"Hey Amy, wait up." Amy sucked in a breath and contemplated not slowing down, but he was already at her side as she exited the classroom. "So, what class do you have next?"

Amy sighed and tilted her head to glance at him, catching Adrian stalking out of the classroom in her peripheral. "Um," it took her a second to get her bearings before turning to her binder where she had slipped her schedule, "looks like I have a free period actually."

Ben grinned, "That's great, me too. You want to meet some people?"

"Uh…"

"Really casual," Ben assured her right away, taking her hesitance as introversion, "Henry, Alice, and I all have a free period now and we usually spend it in the band room with my brother and some of his friends. You're in band right? I thought Principal Turner mentioned that to me."

Amy nodded, "Yeah, I play the French Horn, but I don't get to join the band until next week after I've auditioned for a spot."

"Okay," Ben said, "well might as well get acquainted with the band room. So come hang out with us. What do you say?"

Amy bit her lip, unsure of if it was really such a good idea, but relented, "I guess I don't really have anywhere else to go."

Ben laughed, "That's the spirit."

"Hey Ben, are you heading to the band room?" The two turned to see Adrian striding toward them, smiling up at Ben, but her eyes were fierce, almost hungry and it made Amy wary.

"Uh, yeah. I'm going to introduce Amy to some people." Ben stepped a fraction closer to her and Amy suddenly felt very uncomfortable as both she and Adrian had noticed, the latter turning her intense gaze onto Amy.

"Right, Amy the new girl. Hi, I'm Adrian, we didn't get formally introduced before."

Amy smiled politely and held out her hand, "Nice to meet you."

Adrian squeezed her hand in a tight grip and smiled, "Welcome to Grant." There was a sickly sweet quality to her voice, assuring Amy that Adrian was less than sincere in her greeting. But Amy chose to emulate Grace in that moment and just act obliviously nice in return.

"Thanks," Amy smiled, taking her hand back and pulling her binder closer to her chest. She did not like the way this girl made her feel or the way she was glaring at her with a smile, but she couldn't really do much about it and she hadn't actually done anything wrong.

"Well, anyway," Ben finally interjected, "Like I said, I'm just going to introduce Amy to some people. I'll uh," he sighed, "see you after school?"

"Oh," Adrian responded waving him off, "no, I was heading to the band room also."

Ben furrowed his brow, "Don't you have Economics this period?"

"I've got some time," Adrian spit back, apparently not appreciating the way Ben was trying to brush her off. He wasn't exactly subtle, but, then again, neither was Adrian.

"He'll be there, Ades," Ben added.

"So?" Adrian really didn't seem to appreciate that comment and Amy instinctively took a step away from the pair. "He doesn't have _claim_ over the band room. I'm a majorette, I have just as much right to be in there as he does."

Ben sighed and shook his head, "I know, of course you do and that's not what I meant. It's just…after last night-"

"I told you, it's fine. I'm over him and I can't keep avoiding places because he might be there." Adrian crossed her arms and glared at Ben, who at least had the decency to look sheepish at where the conversation was going. "I can't keep giving up things because of your brother, Ben." This she said in a softer voice and a softness in her eyes and Amy suddenly felt it again, the feeling that she was intruding on a private moment.

"Uh," Ben sighed, "Alright, if you say so. Just…best behavior yeah? It wouldn't look good as Junior Class President if I allowed the two of you to slug it out." He chuckled to try to lighten the mood and even looked to Amy for a little help, to which she smiled politely. But Adrian didn't seem to appreciate the comment either and sniffed, turning away from the pair.

"Right," Ben sighed, "So, Amy, tell me about yourself."

"Uh…" Amy chuckled and shrugged, "Not much to tell. I lived in New York and moved here to live with my dad and his family while my mom and my sister tour Asia."

Ben raised a brow, "Are they in a band? Would I have heard of them?"

Amy laughed and shoved him playfully, "No, my mom owns a business and does a lot of interior design work for international clients. Over the next year she's going to be doing a lot of traveling and so she took my sister with her."

Adrian finally turned back toward her and raised one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows as well, "And you didn't go because…?"

Amy sighed and shrugged, "I'm more of a homebody." She brushed back a few stray strands of hair that had fallen from her braid, "And I thought it'd be good to spend some time with my dad and my stepfamily."

"Yeah," Ben agreed, "Grace said you guys don't get a lot of time to hang out and that's it's been nice having you around."

Amy laughed and nodded, "It helps that Grace is so nice."

"Almost too nice, huh?" Ben added, which made them both laugh.

"So," Adrian interrupted, her face clearly expressing her lack of amusement, "that must have been hard. Leaving your home, your friends, your…boyfriend?"

Amy pulled back and turned away, the image of Ricky in her mind like a jab to the gut. "I-," she coughed, "I don't have a boyfriend."

"Oh come on," Adrian goaded, "A pretty girl like you must have left some lonely boy behind heartbroken in New York."

Amy bowed her head and suddenly found herself consumed by the memory of Ricky, "No, that's not how it happened at all."

"Oh," Adrian cooed, seemingly pleased with how Amy was responding, "So there was a boy?"

"Adrian," Ben warned, noticing Amy's discomfort. He turned the corner and pointed at a pair of large double doors, "Ah, here we are," he said, placing a hand on Amy's shoulder. "Come on," he said with a smile, "Henry usually brings baked goods from his mom for everyone to share. That's why we're allowed to hang out here, as long as we share. You like Snickerdoodle?"

Amy offered a tight smile and nodded, "Sure."

The three entered the band room to see Henry and Alice sitting amongst a group of kids passing a large tin around. They turned toward the new arrivals and immediately began waving them over, Alice waving at Amy, "Hey!"

Amy waved back and began to trek toward her friend, when one of the other boys in the group called out to Ben, "Good afternoon President Boykewich, sir!" At the sound of the name Amy stopped in her tracks, wide-eyed and in complete shock.

Alice who had been watching her suddenly stood, her face furrowed in concern, "Ames? Are you alright?"

Ben and Adrian who had stepped closer toward the group turned toward Amy as well, but only Ben seemed concerned, while Adrian eyed her suspiciously. "Amy?" he asked, stepping back toward her, "What's wrong?"

She looked at him in complete wonder, as if she was at a loss for words, but soon found her voice, "Y-yo-your last name is-" she couldn't bring herself to say it, she was suddenly incredibly nervous and felt as though her legs were going to give out.

"Boykewich," Ben supplied, "Like Boykewich Butchers. You know the brand?"

Amy didn't know how to respond, she instinctively took a step back as she tried to make sense of all the thoughts running through her mind when the door behind her was pulled open and a body slammed into her, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry—I didn't-" The voice trapped all of Amy's breath in her throat and she turned so quickly that she stumbled deeper into the arms of the boy that had just bumped into her.

She gulped as she met the familiar chocolate brown eyes that she had missed so much over their weeks apart and forgot how to breathe. But he hadn't, instead his arms gripped her tighter, as if he was grasping onto a fading dream and croaked out, "Amy?!"

She sighed into his hold and wanted to laugh, it was too unbelievable to do anything but laugh and breathe out his name, "Ricky."

And with that he crushed her to his chest, allowing her to sink into his arms as if she had never left. "God, I'm dreaming," he whispered, "I fell asleep in History and am dreaming aren't I?"

Amy chuckled and buried her face into his chest, "I don't know and I don't care. If you are, then just don't wake up. Please, don't wake up."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Again, can I just say "WHEW!" Seriously, I'm sorry if some of you are thinking this story is too drawn out and not enough RAMY, but need I remind you that Secret Life kept us anxious for three seasons before Ricky and Amy got their stuff together. I think I'm allowed a few chapters to rebuild them. Anyway, I can safely say that Ricky and Amy will have quite a few romance rekindling scenes in the next chapter, but it won't be up until maybe closer to Christmas. Why you ask? Well, because I'm currently on Christmas break and am traveling to Manila to spend Christmas with my family here in the Philippines. I am not going back to the States this year which is...bittersweet to say the least. But I praise God that I'm not alone and that this is looking to be a good Christmas break. =]<strong>

**So, keep an eye out for a Christmas present from me. And I wish you all a very VERY Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And if the world ends on December 21st, it was a pleasure writing for all of you.  
><strong>


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